Who Can You Turn To?
by morgannia
Summary: New Chapter Uploaded Hermione is devastated by a major shock and her friends aren't around to help, but Draco is there to gleefully pick up the pieces. And this is just the beginning . . . So please read and review
1. Trying to Cope

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, i do not own Draco, Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if i did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. those you don't recognize, such as they are, are mine. if you'd like to use, please just let me know. this is a newly edited, but still unbeta-ed chapter, because before i can update it, which i am working, i have to clean up a lot of the story, mainly because it's driving me nuts. i began this story long ago & it more than shows. hopefully, with corrections it will be even better.

* * *

Chapter 1 – Trying to Cope

Clenching the cloak tighter around her body, Hermione wandered aimlessly through the hallways of Hogwarts, before finally slipping out a door. Despite the fact she was wearing Harry's Invisibility cloak, she still couldn't resist looking back over her shoulder as she walked out towards the Forbidden Forest, taking care to avoid Hargid's house. After all, old habits are hard to break.

After a few minutes, she took the cloak off and spread it on the grass, before laying down to watch the night sky. These were the only few hours she had to herself lately, since Harry and Ron died.

"Dead," the word slipped through her lips in a harsh whisper. It's been a month, and it was more than long enough for her to finally say it aloud. It's not going to change, she laughing bitterly to herself.

Ever since that night, Hogwarts has been too bloody claustrophobic. Everybody from her classmates, friends and teachers had been walking on eggshells around her and Hermione knew they're all waiting for her to breakdown. For the most part, they probably meant well, but little did they realize that she broke down a little more each night. Between various potions, she managed to keep herself on the right side of sanity, which was more difficult that one might think, given the fact that everyone was anticipating her completely losing it.

From an objective standpoint, Hermione assumed that it was probably a logical conclusion, even as she resented the implications. On the other hand, she just wished that they'd be less obvious about their suspicions.

It was a fucked up situation, when she really thought about it. Given who Harry was, she would have thought that the school, indeed the wizarding world as a whole, would have been united in their grief. Instead, after the initial shock, it was like the world just moved on.

If it had just been Ron, then she could have understood, not that she didn't care for him, of course. Despite how much of a prat he could be on occasion, he was still her friend, but other than his friends and family and his status as Harry's friend, he wasn't a public figure. But Harry was a different story.

Hermione remembered when the three of them would walk through Diagon Alley and everyone treated him like a hero. Other than the odd howler she got here and there, after the first week, it was as if the world at large had forgotten him . . . both of them for that matter. It was weird.

Hermione couldn't get the contrast between Harry & Ron's death as compared to Lady Di's last year out of her mind. The stark difference between the muggle world's reaction as opposed to the wizarding world was . . . startling, to say the least.

And that didn't even take into consideration, the reaction of everyone at Hogwarts. Sure, everyone was a little more subdued that usual and Dumbledore had given a speech like he did after Cedric had died, but that was the largely the extent of it. It was a little more than disturbing to her, but then again, what did she know? Socialization was one area that she even she had to admit wasn't her strongest forte. Harry and Ron had been the popular ones, after all. Ron was the one people had liked for himself, strange as that seemed to her, but than again the two of them had always clashed to an extent, whereas Harry was more famous or infamous, however the press was treating him that particular year.

Out of everyone it seemed that the people who missed Harry and Ron most were her, Dobie and Neville, but she wound up supporting them, rather than having someone she could lean on. The professors, Sirius and the Weasley's, in particular, had reacted uncharacteristically, even coldly towards her. Then again, perhaps she was being needy as Ginny accused her of being last week.

It was just so hard for her to judge anymore.

In her darker moments, she wondered if anyone would have even paused at all, if she had been the one to die instead of them. The selfishness of such thoughts never failed to shame her, but nonetheless, she couldn't entirely suppress them either. It wasn't that she had been friends with them, because of their popularity, no matter what anyone had accused her in the past, but the way everyone for seemed to be okay with their deaths made Hermione doubt herself.

In studying history and being friends with Harry, she knew all too well that standing apart from the majority, didn't necessarily mean you were in the wrong, but even at her most independent, she had always either Harry, Ron, or one of her teachers in her corner.

This time was different. This time she stood alone. She just wasn't sure how much longer, she'd be able to stay on her feet.

In retrospect, it seemed so strange that the only person she was able to deal with turned out to be Malfoy, of all people. He was hostile as ever, but as bizarre as it was, she welcomed it. Draco Malfoy, who still insulted her at every opportunity, was the person she could tolerate, because he was the only one she could count on to act normally.

Idly, Hermione, guessed she could just add it to the list of the unimaginable that seems to keep happening. Like tonight, despite the fact that she used to be such a stickler for the rules and now having made prefect, she was sneaking out after hours, every night. Or finding the bodies of her two best friends --- no, she reminded herself that she was not even going there now.

The nightmares were bad enough, after all.

She knew what she was supposed to do, how the healthy thing would be to talk it out to someone, anyone. How could she possible forget when everyone from Ginny to Lavender, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and even Snape, keeps offering? But what could she or anyone else for that matter say that wasn't already obvious, particularly when it obvious that they blamed her for it?

Hermione did blame herself, because she wasn't there, knowing it was survivor's guilt didn't make it suddenly go away. Harry and Ron had deliberately slipped out without her, but that didn't excuse her for not picking up on the fact that they were planning something. She should have seen it and, if she couldn't have stopped, then she damn well would've gone along with them.

Of course, it was one thing to blame herself and two of them for their stupidity, what she couldn't really understand was why everyone else blamed her. It just didn't make sense. Something was terribly wrong about this whole thing, but she couldn't quite figure it out.

Talking about it wasn't going to make that go away and certainly not with them. She'd already made that mistake once and she had no intentions of repeating it again. Perhaps, she was being paranoid, as McGonagall had suggested, of course she had used those exact words, but Hermione knew very well, what her head of house had meant. She had nothing more to say to anyone who was going to dismiss her concerns out of hand.

They're dead and nothing anyone says or does is going to bring them back or explain it away. Platitudes were useless and their pitying sympathy was wasted on her. Hermione was sick to death of people saying it was going to be ok, because seriously . . . how could it ever be okay, again?

Sighing, she picked herself back up and grabbed the cloak - _his_ cloak.

It was time to go back like a good little Gryffindor and dig out tomorrow assignments, because - because Merlin forbid Hermione Granger didn't hand in a homework assignment, right?

"Right?"

Her voice wavers, while she waits for a response that never comes. Truth be told, she didn't know anything anymore and cared even less. Her grades were still pretty good, not too hard, considering she had written up her assignment far enough in advance to just show up and she could the work in her sleep. None of it registers, of course, but not much does anymore.

She didn't even bother to wear the cloak on her way back, practically daring Filch to bust her . . .

* * *

Walking back to the school, she was oblivious to the figure, following behind at a safe distance, silver-blonde hair, glinting in the moonlight.

Draco followed her all the way to the Gryffindor common rooms, carefully keeping to the shadows, until she gave the password and entered, before he turned away to go to down to the dungeons.

Another night and all is well at Hogwarts, he rolled his eyes. How can those Gryffindor idiots could be so bloody unaware that their own prefect is on the verge of collapse is something he would never understand. In the privacy of his own thoughts, he grudgingly admitted that losing Potter and Weasley was a blow to the entire school, Slytherins included, but losing Granger is an unacceptable loss. He laughed to himself, looks like it's Draco to the rescue and since it is Hermione, this is a rescue mission that he was definitely planning on enjoying.

Walking back to the Slytherin common room, Draco smirked, who would have guessed that by looking at Granger six years that she'd grow up to be so beautiful, not to mention so brilliant.

It was terribly ironic that the only person in this school worth talking would turn out to be a muggle-born Gryffindor, who hung out with Potter and Weasley, he mused to himself.

He had first noticed her in first year, even before the sorting, but he had recognized nearly instantly that she was muggle-born and knew that she would be off-limits for some time to him, so he'd kept his distance. The fact that they had been sorted into opposing houses was merely the icing on the cake. So much for his hopes that she might turn out to be a Ravenclaw, although it was still would have nearly impossible, he might had an inkling of hope, but the ways things turned out, impossible was an understatement.

So he had resigned himself to biding his time and then bloody Voldemort resurfaced, for which by the way, he blamed entirely on Potter. And what a fucking debacle that had turned into . . . Time and time again, boy blunder had failed to follow through, before finally vanishing in typical spectacular fashion.

Draco was all too aware that he had run out of time and more to the point, she had run out of time. With Potter and the Weasel MIA, she was a glaringly obvious reminder of Voldemort's past failures, not to mention a prominent muggle-born, neither of which was exactly a secure position at the moment. The past month had been a quiet one as the deatheaters and the rest of the wizarding world alike were scrambling about trying to figure out the ramifications of Potter's disappearance and apparent death, but that wouldn't last for much longer.

Draco had his suspicions, of course, but no hard proof, one way or the other. Either way, Granger was a walking target, which only made the situation more puzzling. As the lone surviving member of the so-called "golden trio," he would have figured that the Gryffindors and the school as a whole would have closed ranks, but on the contrary, they seemed to have cut her loose. That fact alone made him apprehensive, because something was coming down and if he didn't miss his guess, it would be happening sooner, rather than later.

Reaching the Slytherin common room, he absently gave the password, "Sex Pistols," his own private joke that failed to lighten his mood. Wary grey eyes scanned the room automatically and he exhaled, seeing the room was empty, before continuing on to his own room. It was late enough already and having made his decision, he had to decide how best to implement that preferable wouldn't get either of them killed.

TBC

Ok . . . again this story is in the process of being edited/updated. new chapters will be coming out fairly soon. in between writing this, i've had a fire – lost everything, some personal disasters, family deaths and more than a few computers. i lost my mailing list long ago.

and don't forget . . . Reviewing is Good Karma! So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)

have fun reading, and remember – reviewing stories makes for happy writers.


	2. With a Vengeance

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, i do not own Draco, Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if i did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. those you don't recognize, such as they are, are mine. if you'd like to use, please just let me know. this is a newly edited, but still unbeta-ed chapter, because before i can update it, which i am working, i have to clean up a lot of the story, mainly because it's driving me nuts. i began this story long ago & it more than shows. hopefully, with corrections it will be even better.

* * *

Chapter 2 – With A Vengeance

Nighttime is always the worst, but at least it's another one I got through, mused Hermione, as she tried to unwind in the Gryffindor common room, staring sightless at the book that is open to another random page.

She should be going down for breakfast, but it would take too much energy and besides the food always tastes the same like paper. She glanced up to the clock and sighed. It was another 45 minutes until potions and nothing but time to kill. Hearing the shrill voices of her roommates drifting down from the staircase, she moved in a sudden burst of energy to high-backed chair in one of the dimmer corners.

It was bad enough when she had to deal with them in class, hanging out now was just too awkward on everyone's part. Hermione was well aware of her reputation at Hogwarts, even among her own housemates. For the past few years, she'd foolishly allowed herself to relax her guard, secure in the knowledge that she had found her proper place in life.

She might not have been the most popular witch, but she was used to scholastic achievement, rather than winning popularity contests. It wasn't that she basked in being a member of the Golden Trio, as she occasionally had been accused of, but that she had found people who valued her for more than someone to cheat off of, not that Ron didn't try to talk her into it at times, of course. Then there was Harry, who more than anyone else treated her like a real friend

Now that they were gone, it was a harsh wake-up call and the last thing she needed was to be reminded of that fact yet again and with that thought in mind, she sank even lower in the seat, hoping whoever it was would be on their way soon enough. It's funny how when you act like you're not around, you really can fade into the shadows, she noted with an ironic twist of her lips.

"So, Ginny, when is McGonagall going to move Hermione? Because I swear if I have to sleep in the same room as her for one more night, I'm going to start screaming like a banshee too." Lavender gripped, as Parvati started giggling.

"Oh come on, Lavender, now she's not _that_ bad. She usually doesn't start until the early mornings, anyway," Ginny shrugged. "Besides, you know what McGonagall told us 'it's only to be expected under the circumstances'."

"Personally," Parvati piped up, "I think she is just desperate for attention since it happened. Seriously, Hermione would have been no one without them and now that they're gone . . . "

Her voice drifted off for a minute, before she continued, "I mean, of course, we all miss them, and if anyone has reason to be ssooo upset, well that would be Ginny and your family. And well, you know how much Lavender and I feel about Ron and Harry. Who knows, we might have been going out right now, if things had been different," she ended passionately.

"Well, I shouldn't be telling you this, " Ginny looked around quickly before leaning in closer to them, "but this is all going to be over soon, very soon."

"What? What do you mean," the two girls demanded to know.

Ginny just smiled. "Oh ok, but we can't let anybody know, remember? Dumbledore is going to make the announcement tonight."

"Are you serious?"

"No way?!"

She nodded at her two friends, sharing their excitement.

Lavender giggled, "I can't wait to see her face. Can't you just image?"

"Now that's just mean, Lavender," Ginny scolded her in a light voice. "Hermione is going to be shocked enough when she finds out and the least we can do is be there to support her."

"Yeah, _oookay_, Ginny," Pavarti smirked, rolling her eyes comically. "Like that's ever gonna happen."

Ginny laughed. "You are so catty, Pavarti."

"Oh wow, look at the time!" She exclaimed, glancing at her watch. "We had better get downstairs or there will be nothing left for us to eat."

They continue chatting as they walk out, never turning back to see the stunned expression on Hermione's face, upon hearing her "friends" uncensored thoughts.

She haltingly stood up, her book falling unheeded to the floor. "What, what the fuck was that?" she whispers to herself.

Walking across the room, she heavily sank into the couch on the opposite wall, wrapped her arms around herself and leaned over, long chestnut hair falling in her face. Hermione took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down and try to interpret their conversation as analytically as possible. Her attempt to emotionally detach herself failed miserably.

She felt as if the world had suddenly turned on it's axis and she was completely lost. Did that really just happen or was she really just going slowly mental as Ron had always been so fond of saying?

"I can't believe that. I mean, ok, Lavender and Pavarti, well they're hardly my favorite people, but Ginny? What the hell did I ever do to any of them?"

Standing up, she begin to pace around the room, as she bristled with every remembered word.

"_I'm_ desperate for attention? Yeah, right, what a fucking joke. Unbelievable . . ." She scoffed, torn between bewilderment, anger and genuine hurt. "And they had the _gall_ to discuss me with McGonagall?"

It was one thing for her classmates to dislike her. Hermione was more than familiar with that experience, but for a teacher, particularly one she so deeply respected? McGonagall had crossed all sorts of boundaries in taking such an action, it was in Hermione's opinion, nothing less than a betrayal.

Her teeth bit deeply into lower lip, as she sighed deeply, in an effort to regulate her breathing. She wasn't going to cry, not over backstabbing, air-headed little girls, who had nothing better to do with their time, she refused to. Intellectually, she realized that it was long since that she entered into the second stage of grief --- anger and focusing on her outrage, seemed to clear her thoughts.

"And with a fucking vengeance," the sarcasm seems strange on her tongue, but she decided it was long overdue. Better to be angry than to show any further weakness, from experience she knew people would only take advantage.

While she planning on speaking to McGonagall, she was more interested in this mysterious announcement Dumbledore was supposedly making tonight. For the life of her, she couldn't imagine what he would have to say that would involve her, Ginny, Lavender and Pavarti, but if they were so gleeful about it, it probably didn't bode well for her. The more she debated what it could be, the more her suspicions grew, but what - "

Her thoughts were interrupted by the voices she heard coming from outside of the portrait. Sounds like breakfast must be ending, which meant whatever privacy she had was quickly coming to an end if she stayed. Hermione walked back to her chair and quickly slipped her book back into her bag and made her way past the oncoming crowd.

* * *

Hmmm, looks like Granger is once again not making an appearance for breakfast. Draco sighed to himself as he lounged back into his seat and watched the Great Hall clear out. Yet another opportunity shot down.

You'd think at the least the bloody Weasels would make sure that the girl actually ate, he glowered slightly. Circe knew there were enough of them. Absently, he wondered how they can keep producing when they are so utterly incapable of the most basic skills of observation.

Sighing again, he strolled out, casually snatching several raspberry filled croissants that he knew she liked so well. Although, the notion of bullying her might be amusing, seduction has far more interesting possibilities. And besides, he smiled to himself, it is so early in the morning yet.

TBC

Ok . . . again this story is in the process of being edited/updated. new chapters will be coming out fairly soon. in between writing this, i've had a fire – lost everything, some personal disasters, family deaths and more than a few computers. i lost my mailing list long ago.

and don't forget . . . Reviewing is Good Karma! So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)

have fun reading, and remember – reviewing stories makes for happy writers.


	3. The Game Begins

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, i do not own Draco, Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if i did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. those you don't recognize, such as they are, are mine. if you'd like to use, please just let me know. this is a newly edited, but still unbeta-ed chapter, because before i can update it, which i am working, i have to clean up a lot of the story, mainly because it's driving me nuts. i began this story long ago & it more than shows. hopefully, with corrections it will be even better.

* * *

Chapter 3 – The Game Begins

Where the hell is she? Draco wondered impatiently, glancing back over his shoulder to watch the door again. Snape droned on about something, but as usual, Draco was paying little, if any, attention. The sudden sound of the door slamming shut door caught the entire class' attention as Hermione coolly strolled into the room. Well, that answered the question if she had been missed, Hermione noted with a slight smile gracing her lips. Swinging her bag on her table, she turned to get her cauldron. Perhaps she hadn't gotten the answer she wanted in regards to Dumbledore's surprise announcement, but at the very least, she had made an entrance. "Ah, Miss Granger, so good of you to decide to join us at long last," Snape sarcastically addressed her. "May I be so bold as to inquire what was so important that you dared to be late for my class?" Hermione continued walking to her back to her table with her cauldron, placing it down before shrugging her shoulders, "I had something else that I had to do." "Excuse me?" He demanded in outrage. "I said, I had something else to do," she repeated herself, barely acknowledging him as she began to arrange her supplies for class. "And pray tell, what was this all important task?" He paused in front of his desk, as he studied her thoughtfully - torn between a reluctant sense of admiration for her audacity and the impulse to draw his wand upon her for her flagrant disregard for his authority in his own classroom. "Something personal." Snape glanced around the room and observed the other students behave as if they were watching an impromptu Quidditch pick-up game. Heads snapped back and forth as their audience waited to see what would happen next. The timing was unfortunate, he mused regretfully, though his expression never once changed

Under normal circumstances, he would have enjoyed the battle of wills. Merlin knew that while teaching gave him the time to peruse his own work, it rarely offer the opportunity to engage in arguments with a worthy adversary. Not to mention the fact that he was more than displeased with Granger's recent attitude and resulting performance. He had either gone so far as to voice his concerns about this entire debacle to Dumbledore, not that the fool actually them to heart.

Nonetheless, with events as they currently stood, he couldn't afford to be lenient now. "I see, Miss Granger, in that case, I hope it was worth it. 150 points from Gryffindor for your unexcused absence and demonstrated lack of remorse, additionally, you have detention with me for the next two weeks and since, of course, you were so late and missed half the class, go sit with Draco to catch up." Snape gave her a nasty smile, before turning his back to her and continuing his lecture. Feeling reckless, Hermione scoffed loud enough for half the room to hear, as she slowly began to gather her things and then confidently striding across the room. Approaching Draco, she glanced up to see his smug expression and rolled her eyes at him in apparent boredom. Leaning back in his chair, he studied her, wondering what she would define as "something personal." Holding back his laughter, he watched the expression on her face change from rebellious to satisfied and finally boredom, the last of which he couldn't quite believe. "So, Granger, tell me how does it feel to be bad?" He drawled out, as he made room for her to sit beside him. "Go to hell, Malfoy." Tilting his head towards her, he whispered, "Only if you're coming with me to keep me amused." Hermione simply responded with a sharply jabbed elbow into his side. Draco abruptly coughed to cover his sudden intake of breath from the impact, grimacing as he pulled his arm in to protect his injured side. "Is there a problem Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger that you are once again interrupting my class?" Snape asked with a bite in his voice, now focused on both of them. Looking at Hermione and seeing a militant glint in her eye, Draco swiftly kicked her in the ankle just as she opened her mouth to respond. "No, there is no problem Professor," he spoke up quickly earning himself a vicious glare from the Snape and Hermione. "Granger was just being clumsy and dropped her bag on my foot." "Liar," she viciously whispered to him. "Hmmm," Draco could see the deliberation on Snape's face as he did his best impression of being the innocent victim, while kicking her in the ankle again. "Well, don't let it happen again Miss Granger or you lose even more points for your house." "Yes, Professor," Draco answered. After giving the two of them another long look, Snape turned to finish his lecture. "What was that about?" Hermione demanded in a low whisper. Keeping his eyes locked on Snape as the professor paced in the front of class, he responded in an equally low whisper, "That was me about saving your sorry, Gryffindor ass, from detention for the rest of the year. Smirking, he continued, "You can thank me later." "Ha, as if that day would ever come," she quietly hissed. "As if you'd care if I spent the rest of my life in detention," she huffed. "Oh, you might be surprised," he taunted her in just as a low a voice. "Besides I know a better way for you to spend your time," he smoothly responded. "And what does that mean?" She demanded, but he just gave her a sardonic smile and refused to answer her further. Snape gave the class their homework assignment and most everyone quickly began filing out, but Hermione noticed that Draco stayed to talk to Snape, which sparked her curiosity. Hanging back she lingered in the room, moving slowly to the door, even as she kept her attention focused behind her, straining to hear their muted discussion. Slipping her wand out of her pocket, she was about to cast acies audio, when she stumbled headlong into Neville.

Amid a sudden explosion of apologies, the two of them knelt on the floor, picking up her scattered belongings. Hermione bit her lower lip in frustration, as her eyes darted to the two Slytherins, whose conversation had abruptly stopped as they watched, with matching expressions of amusement. So much for her stealth skills, she mentally criticized herself, before writing off the chance to eavesdrop on Snape and Draco. She refocused her attention on Neville, still apologetically blushing.

"Don't even worry about it, Nev. It was all entirely my fault for not paying attention," she soothed him, reaching out to pat him on the arm reassuringly.

From behind, she heard a caustic voice comment, "And the mudblood apologizes to the near squib, the irony of it . . ."

Raising the bad to her shoulder, she sharply met Draco's eyes, taken aback by the hardened and flat glint she saw in them. She opened her mouth to respond only to catch, Neville moving forward. Hermione held her hand up to ward off her friend.

"Come on Neville. He's not even worth it," she sneered, her clear voice cut loudly through the room and she was grimly satisfied to see Draco's glare narrow even further.

After a tense moment, Neville smiled unsurely at her, his head nodding towards the door and they walked out.

* * *

In the silence of the potions room, Draco watched her walk off with that ponce, grinding his teeth and listened as she launched into an in-depth explanation on the finer points of disabling a banshee before her voice faded out into the hallway.

"Mudblood, Draco?" Snape questioned, his voice sounding unnaturally quiet in Granger's abrupt absence. "It's been quite awhile since I've heard that word from you," he noted thoughtfully.

Draco wanted none of it, he was pissed enough as it was. Not worth it was he? Well, she'd learn soon enough. "What did you have planned for Granger's detention?" He stared off towards the door, ignoring Snape's question.

Snape raised an eyebrow at that evasive tactic. "An interesting question, Draco, since when are my detention assignments or Granger's indiscretions of any concern to you?"

Casting the older man a sidelong glance, Draco smirked. "I was thinking of a favor for a favor."

"Well," Snape drawled slowly, "that I suppose would depend entirely on what you have to offer."

* * *

Sighing now that her day was almost finally over, Hermione reluctantly walked down the hall to report for her detention. All she had to do was get through this and then go to dinner and hear Dumbledore's announcement. She entered the classroom and annoyed, resigned herself to wait for Snape's appearance. "Well, what a surprise finding you here?" She turned back to find Draco closing the door, then she heard the soft click and knew he locked it. He leaned his long body against the doorframe and smiled at her. "Stop screwing around Draco, you know why I am here. And you'd better unlock the door, before Snape shows up and starts deducting points from both of our houses," her voice remained calm, but he could hear the underlying anger and his smile grew. "Oh, but didn't he tell you?" Waiting for the question in her eyes, he continued, "You're going to be spending your detention with me- all week long." At her outraged expression, he began laughing. Trap set and sprung, oh this was definitely going to be fun.

TBC

Ok . . . again this story is in the process of being edited/updated. new chapters will be coming out fairly soon. in between writing this, i've had a fire – lost everything, some personal disasters, family deaths and more than a few computers. i lost my mailing list long ago.

and don't forget . . . Reviewing is Good Karma! So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)

have fun reading, and remember – reviewing stories makes for happy writers.


	4. Detention

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. So here is the new chapter . . . enjoy & of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews.  
  
Hermione blanched, "Ok, Malfoy what are you talking about?"  
  
"What's the matter, Granger? Aren't you exciting about spending time with me . . . alone?" He challenged her in a silky voice, his eyebrow arching in mock horror. "It wasn't easy to arrange this, you know. So you could at least pretend to be grateful," he continued as he walked over to her.  
  
She glared at him for a moment before grabbing her bag.  
  
"And just where do you think you're going, hmmm?"  
  
"I'm not going to play this game, Malfoy. So whatever you're up to, you can just forget it." Hermione stood up and turned to walk out, only to be confronted by the sight of Draco's chest. Tilting her head back to stare up into his amused eyes, she once again cursed the fact that she was only 5'4 to his far more imposing 6'2.  
  
Fighting the impulse to laugh, I stare down at her. She is just so adorable, when she gets that look on face, like she wants to kill me. "Oh, you're definitely going to play this game with me, Hermione. And I promise that this is just the first of many." Despite myself, I couldn't resist leaning down to whisper in her ear, "You know that you want to, so just relax and enjoy it." I felt her body stiffen as I placed my hands on her shoulders and pulled her in close, only to push her back and down into her chair. Her mouth just fell open, I'd love know what was going through her head.  
  
I think I'm in shock! That`s the only logical explanation. For a minute, I thought Draco Malfoy was going to kiss me and I actually wanted him to. What the fuck is wrong with me?!?! I'm going to kill him, that's it. I'll kill him and everything will back to normal. Well, ok I won't kill, that would just be a sinful waste, I'll just maim him a little bit. Maybe turn into a ferret again, that's better. I'll turn Malfoy into a ferret and all will be good in my world again. What the hell is he up to? He is just sitting on the edge of my desk staring at me, with that sexy come hither smile . . . SEXY?!?!? COME HITHER SMILE!?!?! "Oh fuck, I am not thinking this!"  
  
And here's my opportunity. "Thinking what Granger? Tell the whole class, why don't you?"  
  
"What? What are you talking about?" Hermione babbled as she tried to focus on what he was saying instead of those . . . yummy - no BAD, those BAD ideas that were suddenly popping into her head.  
  
Sighing Draco patiently explained with a smile, "you said and I quote `oh fuck, I am no thinking this' and I want to know what you were thinking."  
  
"Thinking, I wasn't thinking anything. Really, I swear. Wow, you've been working out, haven't you?" She mumbled distractedly, before audible gasping and suddenly clapping a hand over her mouth. "I didn't say that, did I? Tell me I didn't say that!!!"  
  
Laughing at her aghast expression and taking a breath to compose myself, I try to keep a straight face, "Sorry to break it to you, Hermione, but yes you did. And to answer you a question, yes, I usually work out. Why, do you like what you see?" he asked with an overly exaggerated leer.  
  
"Ok chill out Hermione, just chill out, close your eyes and when you open them up, everything will be ok," she said under her breath as she proceeded to close her eyes. When she opened them several seconds later, Draco was leaning in resting his chin on his upright fist, staring at her in fascination.  
  
"So tell me, Granger, is `everything ok' now?" He started laughing, "because I must admit, I must have been missed this lecture in DADA."  
  
She looks so cute when she gets all confused, so in a rare moment of charity, I decide to let her off the hook, for now, anyway. Sitting up on the desk again, I reach into my bag to pull out the raspberry croissants that I had lifted earlier for her and tossed them to her.  
  
"What's this?" Hermione poked a finger suspiciously at the package as if she was afraid it was going to bite.  
  
"Breakfast, Hermione, just eat it."  
  
"But it's almost dinnertime," she protested.  
  
"Yeah, as if you're actually going to eat dinner. Look I got you a few of those raspberry croissants you like so much, so you're going to eat them, since I know for a fact you haven't eaten anything all day long," he ended adamantly, as he stared at her with narrowed eyes.  
  
"Hhhmmm, you haven't poisoned them, have you?"  
  
"And if I had, do you really think I'd tell you?" he asked dryly, arching an eyebrow. "Good point," she conceded and after giving him a searching look, she unwrapped the package, "fine, but only because they're the raspberry croissants."  
  
"Whatever." He watched as she began to eat. "Just so you know, I told Snape that I wanted some extra tutoring in Potions, so you're dentation assignment is to help me."  
  
"What? That's ridiculous, you're the second best student in the class, right behind me."  
  
"True, and Snape knows that, but I told him I wanted to get some extra work done on studying for the O.W.L.'s and he agreed that you should help me, so . . ."  
  
"You want me to help you study potions?" she asked disbelievingly.  
  
"No, Granger," Draco sighed as he began to speak in an exaggeratedly slow voice, "that's just what I told Snape. You know for someone so smart, you can be incredible dense at times."  
  
"Well, what do think we're going to do all week long then?" she asked in an obviously puzzled voice.  
  
Draco's only response was a lazy slow smile.  
  
Her mouth opened for a second, before blurting out, "Oh no, there will be none of . . . that happening. No."  
  
"You think?"  
  
The door suddenly opening startled both of them as they turned to see Professor McGonagall, walking into the room. "Miss Granger, I know you have detention right now, but Professor Dumbledore needs to speak to you, before dinner."  
  
"Ok, Professor McGonagall, let me get my bag," Hermione stuttered as Draco casually slid off the desk.  
  
"Miss Granger was Mr Malfoy bothering you?" Professor McGonagall asked, casting the Slytherin a withering glance.  
  
"Ummm, no Professor, he was just asking me a question."  
  
"Hmmm, well all right in that case. Mr Malfoy, if you have nothing better to do, perhaps you should go to your common room. Come along, Miss Granger," with that she turned on her hell and began walking out of the room.  
  
Hermione swung her bag on her shoulder as she began walking out of the room, and turning back to give Draco an apologetic look, before following Professor McGonagall down the hall.  
  
"Damn, foiled again," Draco, cursed under his breath as he gathered his own bad & exited the room.  
  
Wow, some people are getting impatient, wanting to know what's the announcement & what happened to Harry & Ron, but never fear, the next chapter will shed some light on these & other questions.  
  
Ok, I promised to mention all of you wonderful people who have been reading & reviewing me. . . .  
  
allee kat (who has to be my most faithful reviewer - thank you ;), Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, caD, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;) & lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;).  
  
So thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review me ;) 


	5. Revelations

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. At least, the chapter some of you have been waiting that should clear up a few questions. So enjoy & of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews.  
  
Arriving in Professor Dumbledore's office, Hermione saw an eclectic gathering of teachers, including Professors Snape, Lupin, McGonagall, and Hagrid along with Sirus and of course, Professor Dumbledore.  
  
Hmmm, well this is bound to be interesting. I wonder what is going on, since no one is saying anything and no one will look at me. Oh no, my parents?!? I could feel the panic bubbling over, if Voldemort could get to Harry and Ron, he could get to my parents, but -.  
  
"Now, Miss Granger, I'm sure you're wondering why I've asked you to come here tonight, but I wanted to discuss something that I will announce to the rest of the school later on tonight," Professor Dumbledore began as my sudden panic attack began to evaporate just as suddenly.  
  
"Oh, yes Professor, I heard about your announcement earlier this morning," I replied, still wondering what this `big announcement' had to do with me.  
  
"You did," he asked, "but how?"  
  
"From Ginny, Lavender and Parvati. I overheard them talking about it in the Gryffindor common room before breakfast."  
  
"Oh excellent, Hermione. We were all understandably concerned about how you might take this news, but since you already know, well there is no reason to delay this reunion any further."  
  
What is he talking about? Oh no, don't tell me they brought Krum back to visit me again. I'm so sick of people trying to "cheer me" up. Sighing under my breath, I begin to smooth out robes, while impatiently waiting to escape back up to my room.  
  
And then I thought I died . . . but true to form, I simply passed out. I don't know how it was possible, but it was . . . Harry and Ron.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, obviously this was too much of a shock for the poor girl, perhaps we should take her to Madame Pomfrey? Poor Hermione . . . " I heard Professor McGonagall saying, while I was laying down on . . . on Dumbledore's couch? I started to open my eyes, only to remember . . . Oh My God?!?! I saw Harry and Ron? I decided to feign unconsciousness for a few more seconds, while I tried to get a grip on my world that suddenly gone askew.  
  
"Doesn't she understand that we had to fake our deaths to try and trap Voldemort?" I heard Harry's frustrated voice. Wait - they faked their deaths? What? I can feel the tears starting to burn behind my eyelids, and started to blink them back. Looks like it might be time to "wake up".  
  
And then I heard Ron complain, "look, we want to go and see our girlfriends, so can you explain to her when she wakes up and tell her we'll talk to her in a bit?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry chimed in, "Hermione will understand."  
  
Wait their girlfriends? They have to see their girlfriends? Their fucking girlfriends?!?! The door slams shut as they run off. Understand? Yes, maybe I'm beginning to understand. They start talking again about Harry, Ron and Voldemort.  
  
"Awww!! What is that . . . " I feel myself grimacing as I gasp out, "smell?"  
  
"Smelling salts, my dear," Professor McGonagall helps me sit, "they're just thing for someone like you, who has a bit of a shock. Now how are you feeling, Miss Granger? A little better?"  
  
I nod my head, while coughing. God, that stuff really smells vile, and my eyes are tearing up even more, which is good so at least no one will suspect that I've been crying. I don't know why that is so important, but it is. I shouldn't be so focused on such a petty detail, but I don't know. Tears are just easier to deal with then my feelings about those two, I'll tackle that later. Looking up, I see everyone staring at me. Oh damn, I do not need this either. What I wouldn't I give for a troll right about now?  
  
"Are you ok, Hermione?" Sirus asks me his voice scraping against my fragile nerves. Passing out again, as much as I'd like to, is simply not a valid action at this moment. This is just not fair, but I realize that everyone is waiting for my response.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. A bit confused, but I'm fine." I never knew that lying came so easily or convincingly to my lips, but as it turns out I got a lot of practice that night. So I sat there nodding seriously in agreement as they explained to me how Harry and Ron "had' to pretend that they were dead, since Sirius and Lupin had this great plan to capture him. Only, it didn't work, since the person they caught was Pettigrew, but in the end he escaped too. And although, they all really wanted to tell me, they couldn't because "I'm too honest" and it had to look real. Yeah, I was the perfect sucker, all right.  
  
And when the story was finally over, Sirius had this look in his eye, like Lassie waiting for me to pat him on the head and tell what a good job he did saving the fucking day. I looked around and realized that none of these people, none of these adults who I had spent the entire last six years of my life struggling desperately to earn their respect and to make them proud of me, that none of them had the faintest inkling of how they betrayed me. Or of how much more I wished that I were dead now, then any other time in my life. I focused on the metallic taste of the blood in my mouth as if I was trying to memorize it, nearly biting through my check, because physical pain is easer then the emotional and mental.  
  
After what seemed an eternity, it was over. So I picked up my bag and said good evening, I told I was too tired to go to dinner and that it would be best if I went to sleep. I said I'd talk to Harry and Ron tomorrow, after all I wouldn't want to "interrupt them." Numbly, I just walked. Where do you go, when there is no place to go? Eventually, I found myself outside on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, so I just dropped my bag and sat up against a tree. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I sat there staring up in the sky.  
  
It's strange and scary that I can almost follow Sirius's logic, if I let myself I know I'll be able to rationalize this. If I don't think about it too hard, if I just forget the last month of grief, guilt and anger, if I just let things go back the way they were. I could, I know I could and it would be so easy, that is, after all, what everyone wants. What I can't forgive is that they, Harry and Ron, they let me find their bodies and everybody knew about it, everyone but me.  
  
Me, of all the people?!?! I've protected them, I've lied for them, hell, I've done their fucking homework for years. And they told Lavender and Parvati?!?! What the fuck did they ever do? And Ginny, ok she is Ron's sister, but she also almost got us all killed with that damn diary! This is good, outraged anger is good. But I still can't help but wonder how, I mean how could they do this to me, how could they? "I just don't understand," I know there's no one to hear my plaintive voice, so I finally let myself to cry, under the open sky with no one in sight, except -  
  
"Fancy meeting you out here, Granger. Hmm, I think I vaguely remember this being on that list of things that as prefects we aren't supposed to be doing. Now being a Malfoy that rule, of course, doesn't apply to me, but what are you doing out here?" Draco questioned her as he walked out into the moonlight. "So why don't you just tell me what the problem is & I'll go out and kill them for you," he offered, his gray eyes masking his intent concern as she continued to cry. Settling himself down beside her, he cupping her face in his hands, his thumbs rubbing away her tears.  
  
Here's the list of those very wonderful people who continue to read & review me.  
  
allee kat (who has to be my most faithful reviewer - thank you ;), Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, caD, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;), Sucker For Romance, Madame Padfoot, Jackie, Ally-sama & lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;). Quick question - someone commented on my switching from 1^st to 3^rd, so I promise to make my breaks cleaner, but it's bothering anyone else, please let me know, ok?  
  
Once again, thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review ;) 


	6. The Fallout

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series.  I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state.  Sorry for the delay, but I've been suffering from terrible writer's block & I written this chapter abut 5 times now, & I'm still not really satisified, so if you hate it, feel free to let me know (but secretly I hoping you'll like it).  So without further ado – here's the next chapter.  Enjoy J & of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews.

I opened my eyes at the sound of his voice and almost laughed when he asked me who he should kill, it was so sweet in a Draco-warped sort of way.  When I felt him begin to sweep away my tears with his fingers, I think I lost whatever scraps of my composure I had been clinging to, and buried my head into his shoulder.  I couldn't stop crying and he just wrapped his arms around me and held me, promising me the world if only I'd stop crying.

            Hmmm, I guess it true what they say about being careful what you wish for since you might get it.  As soon as I touched her, she threw herself into my arms.  Hermione Granger is finally in my arms, but somehow when I pictured this moment, I never saw her crying as if her heart was breaking.  Somebody is going to pay for this, right after I get the name of my soon-to-be-victim.  Damn.  I hope I'm doing this since comforting crying girls is not exactly my forte.  So I just keep talking to her, I guess she'll tell me what happened when she is ready.

            I never knew I could cry so much, I don't think I cried this much when I really believed that they were dead, but after a while, the tears started to come more slowly as reality began to sink in.  Pulling back from him, it suddenly occurs to me that, "Oh God, I must look terrible."

            Sitting back, Draco quirked his head to one side as a smile slowly creeps across his face as he asked in disbelieving voice, "You are kidding me, right?"  He pauses for a moment.  "That is all you have to say?"  Chocking mock tears and with a broken voice he continues, "And . . . I thought we were having a moment . . . and all you can do is think of yourself.  You don't even ask how I feel."  Looking around quickly, he leans forward to whisper, "I feel fat and you . . . " he whimpers, " you don't even care!"

            Hermione just stared at him for a few seconds with a bewildered expression, before opening her mouth to respond.  Draco watched with satisfaction as her eyes suddenly lit up with understanding as she broke out in laughter.  Only then did he allow himself to finally relax, if he could make her laughter, then whatever this problem was could be solved.  

            Still giggling Hermione remarked, "I never would have expected that of you."

            "What?"  He asked with a finely arched eyebrow and apparent confusion in his eyes, before turning silver as he laughed with her, dropping his usual sardonic mask.

            She smiled at him, before saying more seriously, "I guess you haven't heard then?"

            "Heard what?"

            She sighed and the light in her eyes grew a bit dimmer.  "Harry and Ron, they're not really dead."

            "Fuck!"  The expletive fell from his lips and she looked up startled as she watched his eyes change from bright silver into a smoldering iron color and his features hardened.  Her hand reached out to touch his arm and his eyes flickered back up to hers and he gave a half smile, merely lifting one corner. "Sorry about that.  It just slipped out.  She pauses, giving him a searching look for a moment, before telling him all of the sordid details.

            Listening to her with only half an ear, I was trying to restrain my growing rage.  That bloody wanker, this is so typical, I can't believe I didn't see this coming.  I mean I knew he wasn't dead, miracles like that don't really happen, but I didn't think he'd be back so soon.  This is not good, this relationship is still too fragile and I know he and weasel boy are going to try to fuck this up for me, and that is not going to happen.   Ok I've got to calm down and think this out, the last thing I need is to scare her away.  Oooohhhh I'd so love to go after Potter and company, the pain I could cause them, but not yet, there has got to be a way to turn this to my advantage.

            "Do you believe that?  Half of the damn school knew about this!  They told their damn girlfriends, neither of which can keep their mouths shut!  And they didn't tell me."  Hermione ranted as she paced back and forth.  Finally, she sat back down on the grass and looked up at him.  

            "Draco?"

            "Yes, Hermione?"

Her voice was softer now as she asked, "What is wrong with me?"

            "Hmmm, I'm sorry what?"  Draco sat down next to her, focusing back on the conversation at hand, pulling his mind away from images Potter lying prone on the ground moaning, while he walked off with Hermione.

            She laughed ruefully, "Yeah, that's exactly my point."  At his confused look, she elaborated in a resigned voice, "I asked 'what is wrong with me?'  I mean, I've been "best friends" with Harry and Ron for years, yet they continue to exclude me from things like this whole conspiracy.  The only time, I ever dated someone, Krum, they both were pissed off about it, yet neither one of them has ever seriously been interested in them, and even Krum just wanted to be friends.  So my question is, what so wrong with me?  Is it the way I look, or how I act, what?"

            He looked at her for a moment, cocking his head to the side.  "Are you serious?"  At her nod, he sighed and got to his feet.  "Come on," and he started walking away, only to get a few feet, before he realized that she was still sitting down.  Walking back impatiently, he reached out an arm and roughly jerked her to her feet.

            "Hey that hurt," she complained rubbing her arm.

            "So what?  Deal with it," was his unsympathetic response.

            "What the fuck is your problem?"  She demanded to know.

            "At this moment?  You."

            "I don't believe this.  You know, I should have known better then to try and confide in you, Malfoy.  You can be such a bastard.  I'm out of here."  Hermione felt like crying again, but she was damned before she would do it in front of _him._

            "No, I really don't think so," he deftly caught her caught her arm and swung her around until she was in his arms and with his free hand, reached her into pocket and pulled out her wand.  "We're not finished until I say so.  You asked me a question and you are damn well going to listen to my answer.  Understand?"  He glared down, shaking her a bit as he ended.

            This is not good, Hermione.  You're outside, at night, alone with _Malfoy_ and nobody knows.  And he had been so nice lately, she thought wistfully.  Looks like he's now back to being an asshole.

            Sighing, Draco tried once again to regain control of his temper; I can't believe she is letting him off the hook, when he is sssssssoooooooo clearly in the wrong.  Shaking his head, he looked down into her frightened eyes, which set him off again.  Dammit, now she's made and scared.  Brilliant Malfoy, got to get control of this situation, before you totally alienate her and she forgives Potter and then you'll never get another chance.

            "Why are you so mad at me, I didn't do anything wrong here?"

            Of course, she'd ask that question.  "But you see, you did, Hermione."  At her puzzled look, he tried again.  "Think about it.  Why are asking me what's wrong with you, when you should be asking what is wrong with Potter and the Weasel?  I mean, they are the ones who betrayed you.  They lied to you, used you, caused you great amounts of pain and guilt, and didn't even have the decency to make sure it was worth it, by actually completing what they set out to do.  And you blame yourself."  He stared intently into her eyes, "You should ask, what is wrong with them, that they can't see all the wonderful and amazing things in you, that I do."  Oh fuck, why did I say that? I didn't mean to say that, it's too soon and with this Potter disaster. . . Fuck.

            "What?  What are you saying?  Draco", she questioned again, but he didn't seem to hear, I wonder if he's talking to himself, she wondered.  Did he mean, what I think he meant?

            "You know, Granger, for someone so smart, you really can be bloody dense sometimes.  Look all I'm saying is that this isn't your fault, this isn't because of any lack or fault in you.  Potter and the Weasel are too involved in "being heroes" to recognize that out of all them, you were always and still are the best.  But it's late and we had better get back to our respective common rooms before someone notices that either one of us is missing or even worse – together.  He grabbed her arm and started half walking and half dragging her back to Hogwarts.

            "Hey," she squealed," wait up!  You have to walk a little bit slower, remember you're legs are a bit longer then mine, so for every step you take, I have to take two.  You're practically dragging me along and I'd like to retain the use of my arm, ok?"

            "Oh, I'm sorry."  He looked down at her distractedly, but did slow down to a more manageable pace for her, "but it's later then I thought."  Finally, the Gryffindor Tower!  "Ok, you'd better go in.  Just . . . do me a favor, ok?

            "Um sure Draco.  What?"

            "Tomorrow, when Potter and the Weasel start pestering you, as I know they will, just remember what I told you, ok?"  He paused for a moment, debating, "and this."  Draco reached out and slipped his hand around the back of her neck, and pulled her in for a kiss.  Hermione gasped in surprise, allowing him to slip his tongue inside her mouth.  Just as relaxed into his embrace, he broke away and briefly rested his chin on her hair.  "You'd better go now," he whispered to her, and he turned to start walking away. 

TBC . . .

AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH  Why can't I post this?!?!?!?! 

Here's the list of those very wonderful people who continue to read & review me.

allee kat (who has to be my most faithful reviewer – thank you ;), Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, caD, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;),  Sucker For Romance, Madame Padfoot, Jackie, Ally-sama, Caroline, Linnie, hermioneG89, Redundant Goddess, imlosnoches, Em, SugarShortys23,  DrAcO*AcErbuS, Selena, Cascade of Darkness, mousie, & lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;).  J

Once again, thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review (assuming, of course that I will be able to upload this sometime in the near future)   ;)


	7. The Next Morning

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. BTW the lines in quotation marks in Draco's note are taken from "San Dimas High School Football Rules" by Ataris. I know my posting are becoming more delayed, but I promise to keep writing, albeit slowly. Here is the next chapter . . . enjoy & of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews.  
  
Oh my God, Draco Malfoy just kissed me! Is the world about to end or am I just losing my mind? Collapsing on my bed, I don't even know where to begin. Could this day get even more bizarre? First Harry and Ron, then that kiss. Damn, who would ever guessed that Malfoy would kiss like that?  
  
A smile sneaked across her face as she remembered the feeling of being held in his arms. But tomorrow, and her smile started to slip, what happens tomorrow? What am I going to do about Draco? And then Harry and Ron? Fuck, tonight is going to be a long night.  
  
"Sex Pistols." Draco walked into the Slytherins common room and up to his room. Thank God, I got my own room, he thought to himself as he reinforced the soundproofing spell and turned on his enchanted stereo and blasted music, before lying down on his bed.  
  
Fuck, what was I thinking, kissing her like that? I must have lost my bloody mind. Tomorrow is going to be . . . difficult. I wonder if she'll even bother talking to me? And how am I going to keeps her from forgiving Potter and the Weasel. If I know them, they're probably going to corner her first tomorrow morning to pick right back up again. This sucks!!!  
  
He got up, groaning at the thought and began impatiently pacing around the narrow room. Ok, what am I going to do now? Hmmm, maybe I can head this off at the pass, I'll send her an owl to meet me before class and talk about - I don't know, I'll figure it out later.  
  
Time to get up and face the music, Hermione thought to herself grimly. She quickly got dressed and started moving downstairs.  
  
"Hermione!!! Wake up, we should talk," she turned around to see Ron chasing after her, winded as he bent over to catch his breath followed by Harry.  
  
Great, just what I need first thing in the morning.  
  
"What's up? I mean other then the obvious not-really-being-dead thing and the not bothering to tell you friend that it was all an act?" She could hear the bitterness in her voice and had to force herself not to wince.  
  
"Look, Hermione, I know you're probably a bit upset about that, and we both understand," Ron began looking at Harry who merely nodded, "But-"  
  
"But nothing. I don't think you really understand exactly what I've been going through or what I'm feeling now," she retorted.  
  
"Hermione, you have to listen to our side too, you know. It's not like we were having fun or getting to go to school. We were hard at work, trying to capture Voldemort." Harry spoke for the first time. "And besides, we want to tell you all about it."  
  
Yeah," Ron chimed in, "we also want to know all about what has been happening while we were away. You can help us work on the work we've missed at school." He looked up to see the expression on her face darken, before hurriedly adding, "And, of course, you know we want to hear about how you're feeling?"  
  
"Right. Sure. But I've got to get down to breakfast now, so why don't you ask your girlfriends about the homework. I'll see you later," She turned to walk away, without waiting to hear a response from either of them.  
  
"Come on Hermione, don't be like that," Ron called after her, but she never turned back around. "What do you think her problem is?" He asked Harry. "How long do you think she is going to stay angry at us?"  
  
"I don't know. Did she seem different to you?" Harry watched her as she walked away, "There is something, but I can't quite put my finger on it?"  
  
"You mean besides being bitchier or that she looks so different?"  
  
"No, it's not either of those, although she does look very different, doesn't she? Prettier, right? Did she do something to her hair?"  
  
"Oh you noticed?!? That is so sweet, isn't it, Lavender? And this is why I adore this boy."  
  
Harry and Ron turned around to see Pavarti throwing herself into Harry's arms, and Lavender trailing behind her. She continued babbling, "I just found this new spell last week, that gives me these darling curls. Don't you just love it? She asked after kissing Harry right on the lips, while playing with her hair.  
  
Harry looked at Ron for a moment; their stunned expressions mirror each other before sputtering, "Um, yes. That is exactly what I was telling Ron. How . . . cute it looks on you." She smiled brightly at him, before interlocking her arm with his and practically skipping down the hallway, while Ron and Lavender fell in behind them, trailing a cloud of perfume and inane chatter.  
  
Draco sat at the head of the Sylthrin table, impatiently looking towards the door. Where the hell is she? And what are they telling her? Visions of a sickingly sweet reunion that had kept him up all night began again playing in his head.  
  
Ron and Harry telling her harrowing tales of their "heroism", he mentally scoffed as she clasped her hand over her mouth, before exclaiming, "Oh I'm so glad you survived, I couldn't image living without you!"   
  
Which was Potter's cue to rush forward, proclaiming, "Hermione, I've been so blind. It's you I loved, forget about Parvati or Cho, It's always been you all along." He began to hug as she beamed at him.  
  
"I love you too Har-," and Potter's damn lips covered hers, cutting her off.  
  
"Not over my dead, rotting and decomposing corpse, he won't," Draco snarled out loud, earning some strange looks from around his table.  
  
"Draco, are you ok?" Simpered Pansy. I mean, I understand that your upset about those two losers really not being dead," pausing as she looked down the table and all the Slytherins nodded in agreement, "but you should allow yourself to get so worked up over it."  
  
"What?" He looked at her, as her shrill voice penetrated through his mental image of Potter manhandling Hermione. Glancing down his table, he saw all the attention he was attracting and he said, "Yeah, I was thinking that even though Potter is back, even he can't win enough Quidditch games to save his house. This year the Slytherins are going to win the House Cup without a doubt." He grinned at the enthusantic cheer of his table, while keeping an eye on the door. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she walked in, unaccomianed by Potter and the Weasel, which can't help but be a good sign. He tried unsuccessfully to catch her eye, and could only watch her covertly as she walked to her table and sat down. Now where the hell is that damn bird? Ah, a slight smile crossed his face briefly as he watched it circling the room, before landing right before her.  
  
Hermione sighed, this really was one of the last places where she wanted to be at this moment. Suddenly an unfamiliar word bird lighted down, right in front of her. She looked at it strangely, before absently shrugging her shoulders and retrieving the note. As she untied from the owl's leg, it suddenly took off without waiting for a response or even a snack. Weird and weirder. She unfurled the note to read the elegantly scripted message,  
  
"I just want you to know I have a major crush on you. I'd drive you to Las Vegas and do the things you wanna do I'd even have Wayne Newton dedicate a song to you. I only wish that this could be just dump your boyfriend and go out with me I swear I'd treat you like a queen."  
  
Thinking about last night and you, I couldn't get this song out of my head. I don't know how I'm going to get through another double sessions of potions with you and not be able to talk to you until our detention (you didn't forget did you?) Can you meet in the potions before class to talk? I'll bring some raspberry croissants for you . . . Shameless bribery, I know, but please will you come? If you want to just look up at me and nod, I'll be waiting.  
  
Draco   
  
Oh my God!!! Hermione kept her head down, but she could feel his eyes burning on her. Do I really want to do this; she debated for a moment, before making her decision. She lifted her head and glanced over to him, before flashing him a quick smile and a nod. He lifted an eyebrow and smiled back before getting up and walking out of the room. She paused for a few minutes, fighting anxiety and excitement in equal amounts, before she forced her sluggish legs into motion and began walking out to the door. She never saw the suspicious stare being directed at her back from Pansy.  
  
TBC  
  
Here's the list of those very wonderful people who continue to read & review me.  
  
allee kat (who has to be my most faithful reviewer - thank you ;), Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, cad, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;), Sucker For Romance, Madame Padfoot, Jackie, Ally-sama, Caroline, Linnie, hermioneG89, Redundant Goddess, imlosnoches, Em, SugarShortys23, DrAcO*AcErbuS, Selena, Cascade of Darkness, mousie, Hermie13, lauriena, Fire Goddess, mysticalcancer, Krystle Nicole & lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;).  
  
Once again, thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review (assuming, of course that I will be able to upload this sometime in the near future) ;) 


	8. And so the Lies Begin

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. I know my posting are becoming more delayed, but I promise to keep writing, albeit slowly. BTW I hate the title of this chapter, so if a better one occurs to you, please let me know. Anyway, here is the next chapter . . . enjoy (& of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews.  
  
Draco paced around the room aimlessly. This is stupid, I really should have waited until detention, but I need to know how much damage control I'll have to do. Damn Potter & Weasel.  
  
"Ummm Draco?" He spun around at the sound of her voice. "We don't have much time. People will be coming any minute now."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to make sure that everything was ok with you."  
  
She looked at him with an ironic smile of her lips, "Well, I'm fine at the moment, but by the end of the day who knows."  
  
"So I guess you talked to Potter and the Weasel."  
  
Rolling her eyes, "Well they tried, I think, but I just walked off. I can't deal with all this shit."  
  
"Are you ok, seriously?" He looked at her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and her still too slight of a frame. "Ummm, here," he turned away to dig into his bag where he had stashed the croissants and handed her the little package, "you'd better eat these."  
  
She smiled at him gratefully.  
  
"Hmmmm, how cozy. A little get together I see. And Hermione, on the very day that Potter and Weasley return to school?!? Tut tut tut. Whatever would people think?" a snide voice asked. Draco and Hermione turned to see Pansy leaning up against the doorframe, a bitter sneer twisting her features into an even uglier expression then usual.  
  
Fuck! Why? Why can't I ever get a goddamn break!?! Draco's head tilted upwards for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts. Looking over at Hermione, he saw she had gone pale bone white. Putting the package into her hands, he leaned in close to mummer in ear, "Here, just take this and I'll see you later in class. Don't worry about Pansy, I'll take care of this, ok?" He looked up to see her eyes tremulously looking into his and smiled confidently, until she tentatively smiled back at him. Keeping a hand firmly in the small of her back, he guided her out the door. "I'll talk to you later, ok?" he said gently, while glaring at Pansy over Hermione's head in satisfaction as Pansy's smile fell.  
  
Grabbing Pansy roughly by the arm, he cast a hasty glance around the surrounding hallway, before hauling her into the empty classroom.  
  
"What the fuck is your problem, Parkinson?" he demanded to know as he shook her.  
  
"My problem? What the hell is wrong with you? What are you dating the little mudblood!?!" her voice dripped with scorn, "Is that it? Are you going to make her your little pet?" She laughed manically.  
  
Draco took a deep breath before releasing her with a hard shove against the wall and watched as Pansy fell back, hitting the wall, before slumping to the floor. Her stupid mouth fell open as she stared up at in shock. Fuck!!! Taking another deep breath, he decided on his course of action.  
  
"Who the fuck do you think you are to challenge me on anything I do, hmmm? Do you forget who I am? I am a Malfoy. Do you even begin to understand what that means? I could kill you so easily at this moment."  
  
He watched as her eyes began to fill up with tears. Great this is all I need. Did I play it too heavy? Time to backtrack, yet again, dammit. I am not having a good day and it isn't even 10 am yet. . . . He sighed before he sat down on the floor next to her.  
  
"I'm sorry Pansy, maybe I overreacted. I didn't mean to be so rough with you," Draco forced his voice into something resembling a soothing tone. Can't let her know, how much I would really love to put a lovely curse or two on her right now, it's simply not the done thing, he thought to himself, one corner of his mouth quirking up into a sly half smile.  
  
"I - I don't understand, Dra-Draco. Why are you bei-being nice to that mud- " she began, giving him a hesitant look, "that muggle. Don-don't you want to be wi-with me?"  
  
"Of course, I want to be with you," he was practically gritting his teeth as he forced out the words. I can't believe she won't let this obsession go!?!? Why me? "But the thing with Granger, well, it's complicated."  
  
"You like her," Pansy gasped out horrified.  
  
"No, no, of course, I don't like her. It's - it's all part of my plan to get at Potter." He paused for a second, before continuing. "I mean what better way to hurt to hurt Potter then to isolate him from his friends. Now having to deal with the Weasel, well that would just be sheer torture, aside from the fact that he wants to kick my ass. Whereas Granger is the brains of the operation and thanks to that whole "we're dead, no just kidding, we're really alive" bit that Potter and company fucked up, she is totally vulnerable and ripe for the plucking. Not only is this going to drive Potter and the Weasel absolutely insane, it has the added benefit that without her help in schoolwork and a little bit of luck they both might fail out of Hogwarts." He ended with a brilliant smile, because, after all, it was his brilliant plan.  
  
"Oh, so you don't really care about her?" She smiled vacuously when he nodded in the affirmative. "But wait a second, they only just announced that Potter and the Weasel weren't dead yesterday at dinner and you weren't even there?" She looked at him suspiciously.  
  
Great now she has to start thinking, he stared at her through narrowed eyes, while gleeful images of strangling her darted through his mind.  
  
"Ok, come on for a minute and think Pansy. I'm Draco Malfoy and my father Lucius Malfoy is in Voldemort's inner circle. Now logically, if Voldemort had really killed Potter, don't you think that I might have known about it? Hmmm? I knew Potter was up to something and I was planning on being ready for him when he came back. Which by the way, may I add; you might have just fucked up beyond repair by sneaking up on me and freaking out Granger. Do you have idea any how hard I had to work to get her to trust me in the slightest, before you barged in and possibly destroyed all of that?"  
  
Her eyes grew wide listening to his tirade, "Oh, I'm sorry Draco, I didn't think."  
  
"Yeah, obviously." He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair, "look just do me a favor, walk out of here and pretend you didn't see anything and we haven't had this conversation, ok?  
  
"But, I can help you Draco!"  
  
"Help!?!" he scoffed, "you've helped enough. Seriously, leave this to me and I'll fix it, ok." He began pacing again until she finally nodded in acceptance. Thank God, one more problem solved, he thought as he watched her walk out of the room.  
  
He turned his back to the door as he gathered up his things for class.  
  
"So that's what going on, you son of a bitch." Draco winced as he recognized the fury in Potter's voice and his hand slid into his pocket to firmly grasp his wand as he turned to face Potter. "You bastard, do you really think I'm going to let you get away with this?"  
  
"Actually, Potter, I really don't think you've got a choice in the matter. I do what I want to do, and I think Hermione will agree. So you'd best learn to deal."  
  
TBC  
  
Here's the list of those very wonderful people who continue to read & review me.  
  
allee kat (who has to be my most faithful reviewer, thank you ;), Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, cad, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;), Sucker For Romance, Madame Padfoot, Jackie, Ally-sama, Caroline, Linnie, hermioneG89, Redundant Goddess, imlosnoches, Em, SugarShortys23, DrAcO*AcErbuS, Selena, Cascade of Darkness, mousie, Hermie13, lauriena, Fire Goddess, mysticalcancer, Krystle Nicole, DarkIllusion, Adris, Mrs.Amanda Malfoy, Dragona, stewy & lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;).  
  
Once again, thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review. 


	9. Harry and Who?

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. I know my posting are becoming more delayed, but I promise to keep writing, albeit slowly. BTW I hate the title of this chapter, so if a better one occurs to you, please let me know. Anyway, here is the next chapter . . . enjoy (& of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews.  
  
"Deal?!?!" Harry asked incredulously. "I'll kill you first!!"  
  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk . . . And on school grounds." Draco shook his head as he turned around to face him. "Whatever would people say? Hmmm, perhaps they might wonder exactly what you were doing with Voldemorte, while you were away. Is that it, Potter? Did you decide to join him and come back to kill us all, perhaps in our beds?" Draco asked his mocking tone tinged with a touch of malice. "Oh and for the record, my parents were married," he ended with a bitter smile.  
  
Harry glared at him, as he coolly gathered his possession and started walking past him. "I'll tell her what I heard."  
  
Draco laughed, "Go ahead Potter, tell her whatever you like. Just remember that you're the one who lied and betrayed her, not me. Who do you think she is really going to believe, you or me? Face it, Potter, you fucked up. I couldn't have set this up better if I had tried, so I guess in a strange sort of way I have you to thank." Draco laughed even harder at the aghast expression on Potter's face.  
  
Potter's mouth opened, but then their classmates began pouring into the classroom, Draco smirked at him, as Harry's face began turning red. Finally, as almost everyone was in their places, he stalked over to where Ron was waiting. Draco sat at his table, while Snape began to drone on about the importance of mandrake in healing potions.  
  
"What were you talking to Malfoy about?" Ron asked, giving Harry a sideway glance.  
  
"I can't talk about it now, but I'll tell you later. He's playing some kind of game with Hermione." Harry bit out.  
  
"What?!?!"  
  
"Excuse me, Mr Potter and Mr Weasel, do you have some great revelation that you would like to share with the entire class regarding mandrake? I must assume that you do based on your inability to remain silent in my class." Snape's voice rang out snidely through the classroom, waking up a number of students whose heads sharply swung around to stare at them.  
  
Ron winced, before looking apologetically at Harry.  
  
"Hmmmmm, I thought as much. 15 points from Gryffindor from each of you," Snape grinned sadistically, before continuing his lecture.  
  
Herimone idly looked over at the two of them, still furiously whispering, albeit in lower voices. She wondered how she got to be the topic of discussion, as she watched Harry gesturing towards her animatedly. Her eyes passed across the room, as she caught Draco watching her with a sardonic smile and an arched eyebrow. She couldn't help the smile that crept across her lips as she stared back at him, contemplating his kiss last night. His smile broadened as if he knew what she was thinking. She felt her checks suddenly begin blush and she quickly averted her eyes to look down at the floor.  
  
Draco had to bite back his laughter. Hermione was just too cute sometimes. He wondered exactly how low that blush went, because if that kiss last night that making her blush, he knew that he has a lot to look forward to.  
  
All I have to do now is somehow circumvent Pansy and Potter. One of them would be bad enough, but the two of them . . . Hmmmm, that's going to be difficult. It's too bad I couldn't get the two of them to pair up. Could you image that? It would certainly keep the two out of this until it was too late for anyone to interfere. If I used a spell it would have to be something fairly obscure and difficult to trace, not to mention something if not permanent, although it would serve the two of them right, but certainly long lasting. I should look into this, maybe later on tonight.  
  
He smirked at the image that sprung into his head. Pansy clinging on Potter's arm, cooing sweet nothings into his ear, while he stared into her eyes earnestly, while pushing up his broken glasses one hand, the other wrapped her. "I love you Harry," she simpered while he responded with a wet kiss.  
  
It's too sick, I've got try it, at the very least, Draco laughed to himself, casting a glance at Potter, who banefully glared at him, because if anybody deserves Pansy, it has to be Potter.  
  
TBC  
  
I know, I know {{{wincing apologetically}}} this is absurdly short chapter, but I promise the next one will be longer & will be poster much sooner (much sooner!!!). But I found myself at a loss of how to continue at the end of the last chapter . . . sighing. & I have no idea what I'm going to do now with Harry and Pansy so if you've got an opinion now be the time to let me know. So pretty, pretty, please review this chapter don't make me beg, because I will I necessary {{{ will bribery work? making a sad face . . . .with whipped cream, cherries & a sexy Draco on top?!?}}} LOL  
  
Here's the list of those very wonderful (& very patient) people who continue to read & review me.  
  
allee kat, Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, cad, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;), Sucker For Romance, Madame Padfoot, Jackie, Ally-sama, Caroline, Linnie, hermioneG89, Redundant Goddess, imlosnoches, Em, SugarShortys23, DrAcO*AcErbuS, Selena, Cascade of Darkness, mousie, Hermie13, lauriena, Fire Goddess, mysticalcancer, Krystle Nicole, DarkIllusion, Adris, Mrs.Amanda Malfoy, Dragona, stewy, Draco's Babe, wolf, Silver Starlight, zombie-miho, lutra,  
  
& lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;). (  
  
Once again, thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review. 


	10. Brimstone and Treacle Nightmare

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. I know my posting are becoming more delayed, but I promise to keep writing, albeit slowly. Anyway, here is the next chapter . . . enjoy (& of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews. BTW everybody, please say Hello and give a little wave to Dee (AKA Scratches) the wonderful, wonderful, wonderful (yes that was 3, lol) person who has volunteered to beta this story  
  
After class, Harry grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him out and into an empty classroom.  
  
"Harry, what is your problem? Have you lost your mind?"  
  
Harry stared at Ron for a moment, in frustration, before turning away to knock over a chair.  
  
"Oh, let me guess, this is about Malfoy?" He looked over at Harry, who just glared back at him. "Look, Harry, I get it - you hate Draco almost as much as you hate Voldemorte. I understand, I hate him too, but unless we can prove he is a death eater, there isn't that much we can do to him & to be honest with you, I could be getting laid right now, instead of standing around here, listening to you bitch about Malfoy. Can we do this later?"  
  
"RON? Can you stop thinking about sex, for one fucking minute? This is bloody serious. Draco has got some sick plot of seducing Hermione to try to get at me. And she is still so angry with us that you might totally refuse to listen to anything we have to say, but we've got to do something, damnit!"  
  
"Whoa!!!! Back up, what the hell are you talking about?!?" Ron's face went white as he slumped back into a chair.  
  
Harry grabbed another chair as he began intently recounting what he remembered from Pansy's and Draco's conversation and his own encounter with Draco. When he finally finished, he sat back, while Ron digested the information.  
  
"Fuck . . . This is not good, Harry. We'd better come up with something fast." The two of them sat there through lunch and their next class, trying to come up with a plan.  
  
Draco headed off to the library, after deciding, it might be worth it to check into some slightly dark love compulsion spells. After finding a few possibilities and a book or two on potions, as a cover, he moved into a small antechamber to flip through the books. He opened the first, Love Gone Wrong, and started flipping through the pages until he came across one entitled, "Brimstone and Treacle Nightmare." Hmmm, skimming the spell, he thought that this could be interesting to watch. Potter and Pansy, yeah, this could definitely be interesting.  
  
"So, this is where you hide out between classes, hmmmm? I'll have to keep that in mind." Hermione smiled as he looked up in surprise at her. Draco was sitting in the chair, legs propped up on the table in front of him, books lying all around him.  
  
"Hermione," Draco started before glancing down at the open book in his lap. Fuck, he thought to himself, I can't let her see these books, the last thing I need is for Hermione to think I'm trying to put a spell on her. Thinking fast, he leaned back in his chair and tumbled to the floor, his legs swinging wildly, and scattering books to the floor. He quickly collected the books, making sure to place one of the potions books open to a random page on top of the pile, effectively hiding the love spell books buried below. He bit back a smile as she suddenly rushed in.  
  
"Oh my god! Are you ok?!?! I didn't mean to startle you like that. Did you hit your head?"  
  
Her voice had the slightest edge to of panic that could prove to be useful. "Owww," Draco mumbled while rubbing the back of my head, "I think I hit my head, but I should be fine. Don't worry about it, really."  
  
She pulled up a chair next to him, "Are you sure, you're really ok?"  
  
He grinned back at her, "Don't worry. It'll take more then just a bump on the head to get rid of me. You just surprised me, but I'm glad you're here. We really didn't get a chance to talk earlier, with Pansy being her usual bitchy self, interrupting us. How are you doing?"  
  
"Umm pretty good actually, I haven't seen Harry or Ron since potions." Hermione paused for a moment, "Which is pretty strange considering, since I swear they were talking about me." She sarcastically rolled her eyes, "They didn't even show for their other classes, they were probably too busy screwing around with their little sluts."  
  
Draco burst out laughing, "Ewww, what a bad mental image. Are you trying to make me ill, Granger?" He wickedly grinned at her, as her mouth dropped open for a second, before she began to giggle as well.  
  
"Well, when you put it that way . . ." she started before succumbing to a fit of laughter again.  
  
Draco just smiled at her, thinking this is the way she should always look, with her hair falling around her face, her eyes gleaming with excitement, and smiling.  
  
Hermione looked to find Draco intently studying her, and tilted her head curiously, as she gently smiled at him, "Draco, what are you thinking?"  
  
His gray eyes, refocused on her as he answered, "Oh, I was just thinking about how beautiful you look, when you're smiling for a change. You should smile more often." He smirked as her head dipped forward, her hair covering, but not entirely hiding the slight hint of a blush.  
  
"Be serious, Draco"  
  
"I am. Hey," he reached a finger up under her chin, raising her face up to his, "don't you ever look in the mirror?"  
  
"I know what I look like,"  
  
"Somehow, I seriously doubt that, Hermione." He waited until she smiled back at him, before continuing in a more serious voice, "Look I'd love to stay here with you, but it is getting a bit late. We should probably report to Snape's room for detention, before anyone figures out where we are, ok?"  
  
" Yes, I supposed you're right, after all, we should be studying for the O.W.L.'s, and I definitely do not need Snape on my case again. And on the way, we can talk about what you were arguing about with Harry, right before class," she paused giving him an ironic sideways glance, "what, you didn't think that I didn't notice, did you?"  
  
Grinning back at her, "well, of course, I never would have assumed that something like that would have escaped your brilliant observation, Granger." He stood up, stretching his arms for a moment, before gathering up the books, which luckily she hadn't been looking at all too carefully, before putting them on an empty shelf as they began walking back to Snape's room.  
  
"So, tell, what were you two arguing about?" She teased him.  
  
Laughing, he answered her, "You, of course."  
  
"What?!?!" She turned to stare at him, "Me?!?! Whatever for?"  
  
Sighing, he brushed his hair off from his face, "Potter overheard me telling Pansy that you and I being friends had nothing at all to do with her, and that I would not tolerate any interference from her - "  
  
"Wait, you really told her that, that we were friends?" Hermione interrupted him.  
  
"Well, yeah, "he turned to look down at her, "I didn't overstep any bounds there, did I? Because I consider us friends and hopefully a little bit more . . ." his voice trailed off tentatively.  
  
Hermione blushed again and nodded her head, "Yes, we're certainly friends and working on maybe being friends with benefits."  
  
Her face suddenly turned a rosy shade of red as she realized exactly what she had said, and she clapped her hand over mouth, mumbling, "Oh no, I didn't say that, did I? She looked up at Draco, who was trying unsuccessfully to bite back the grin that was slowly curving his lips. "I did say it, didn't I?" At his laughter, she moaned as she leaned her head into her chest, hiding her expression. "It's not fair, you know. Lately, whenever I'm around you, I can't seem to control my tongue and say whatever I'm thinking."  
  
"Hey Hermione," Draco reached a hand around the base of her neck as he tilted her face back up to his, "you can always say whatever you want around me, and I won't laugh, " at her reproving frown, he continued, "well at least not a lot." He smirked at her, "Oh come on, I find it fascinating, learning the way your mind works." He paused for a moment, staring at her with eyes that slowly changed color into a molten liquid silver, before his fingers tighten into her hair and he bent down to brush his lips against hers. She leaned in to deepen the kiss, before voices coming from down the hall, reminding them that weren't alone and they quickly separated and after a briefly intense moment of staring into each other eyes, they began walking down the hall again, somewhat more subdued then before.  
  
Striving for normalcy, Hermione asked, "Well, Harry overhearing you tell Pansy that we were friends shouldn't have been that bad, so what was his problem?"  
  
Draco took a deep breath to calm himself, before slipping back into character, and looked down at her, arching an eyebrow, "Hermione, do you really think Potter would approve of you and I being friends, or friends with benefits?"  
  
She winced for a moment, "Yeah, I see your point."  
  
"Right. Well, as usual, Potter jumped to all the wrong bloody conclusions and, basically, he flipped out. He starting telling me that you were completely under his thumb and that you would do whatever he told you to do and that included staying far 'the hell' away from me."  
  
"Oh no, he did not dare!!!"  
  
"It gets even better, he assured me that he would do whatever it took, even lying to you to keep you out of 'my clutches' since obviously you were too ignorant to see the danger for yourself." He sighed for a moment, before continuing, "you know, I seriously wish people around here, would stop being so interested in matters that don't concern them."  
  
"He said all that?!?!? Oooooohhhhhh I am so tempted to seriously kick his ass for this!!! He has no right interfering in who I hang around with or what I do."  
  
Whoa, Granger, I have to admit that I agree that someone should kick his ass, but don't you think I deserve a shot, and besides," he smiled down at her, "if you freak out at him like that, even if he deserves it, he is going to know what I told you and make him even more sure that you need to be rescued from the big, bad Malfoy."  
  
""So what do you think I should do then, hmmm? Let him continue to think that I am incompetent, except when he needs his homework to be done?"  
  
He smirked, "no, of course not, but let him approach you and then blast him out of the water. If you're defending yourself, rather then going on the attack, he might be able to see your perspective."  
  
"Wait a second," she turned to look at him suspiciously, "why would you even want Harry to see my perspective when you hate him?"  
  
"Look, I admit that I hate Harry and company, probably about as much as he and the Weasel hate me, but for some bizarre reason, which I cannot understand, you seem to have some affection for them. Now while I still believe they are beneath you, you care about them, and I'd hate to be the reason why of you get hurt because of your relationship with me."  
  
"Do you really mean that?"  
  
"Yes," he looked down at her seriously for a moment, before smirking again, "I'd rather you discover on your own that they're jerks and then you can ditch them. Owwww, hey that hurt, " he exclaimed rubbing his arm after she quickly jabbed him.  
  
"Yeah, well that is what you get for insulting and for calling me by my last name," Hermione walked off toward Snape's room, with a slight smile as she looked back over her shoulder to see Draco hurrying to catch up to her.  
  
"Yeah, but you look so cute when I do. Hey, are you going to wait up for me, or what?" Draco shook his head ruefully for a second as he lengthened his stride to catch up to her, a smile flitting across his lips, as his thoughts turned to how they could spend the next hour or so in "detention."  
  
TBC  
  
Here's the list of those very wonderful (& very patient) people who continue to read & review me.  
  
allee kat, Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, cad, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;), Sucker For Romance, Madame Padfoot, Jackie, Ally-sama, Caroline, Linnie, hermioneG89, Redundant Goddess, imlosnoches, Em, SugarShortys23, DrAcO*AcErbuS, Selena, Cascade of Darkness, mousie, Hermie13, lauriena, Fire Goddess, mysticalcancer, Krystle Nicole, DarkIllusion, Adris, Mrs.Amanda Malfoy, Dragona, stewy, Draco's Babe, wolf, Silver Starlight, zombie-miho, lutra,  
  
Melinda, Sexy Oscar, kid, sai, Calypso in Love, Scratches (Hi Dee ;), Draco's Honey & lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;). (  
  
Once again, thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review. 


	11. Confrontations

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. I know my posting are becoming more delayed, but I promise to keep writing, albeit slowly. BTW I hate the title of this chapter, so if a better one occurs to you, please let me know. Anyway, here is the next chapter . . . enjoy (& of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews.  
  
"I still can't believe this Harry!!" Ron exploded as they walked down the hallway. "I mean Draco!?!?! What the hell is she thinking? Ignoring all the miserable things he has done to all of us, the fact that his entire damn family are nothing more then a pack of cowardly Death Eaters, or that he has tried to ruin the life of everyone he's ever met who isn't a Slytherin, he is still fucking Draco!!! Of all the people she has to hang out, she picks Draco!!! What the hell is she thinking?!?!? "  
  
Harry just shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine. The real question is what are we going to do about it?"  
  
"Kill him," was Ron's immediate response. Harry just turned to look at him before rolling his eyes.  
  
"Seriously, Ron, I'm just as upset as you are, but we need to be realistic here."  
  
"Seriously, Harry, why can't we just kill him?" Harry glared back at him. "Come on, you know as well as I do that he is or will be a Death Eater, sooner or later. We'd be doing the world a favor." Ron continued ranting. "Besides," he added in a more somber tone, "you also know that he is going to end up hurting her." He sighed, "At this moment, I'm almost thinking that she deserves whatever is coming to her, but at the same time, I know that we have to help, whether or not she wants us to."  
  
"Ron that's a terrible thing to say!" But Harry's weak protest sounded pathetic, even to himself. He tuned out Ron for a moment, as he tried to come to grips with how he felt about this whole situation. Intellectually, he realized that Draco was taking advantage of Hermione, although he couldn't since it was for the greater good, since it was for the greater good, she should just understand. After all, isn't that what friends do, understand and forgive each other?  
  
"Look, first we've got to find her and get her to talk to us, which isn't going to be easy, since I think she is a bit angry with us." Harry decided the best way to approach was to try to remain reasonable.  
  
"Uh oh," Ron mumbled, elbowing Harry as he pointed toward the potions room, where they could clearly see Draco, pinning Hermione up against the wall in the otherwise empty class room.  
  
"That son of a bitch!" Harry grabbed his wand and looked grimly over to Ron, who also had his wand in hand, as they stormed into the room only to hear. . .  
  
"Come on Hermione, no one is going to save you now," Draco's voice echoed in the room. Hermione could feel herself trembling as she tried to figure out how she was going to get out of this one. His arms tightly banded around her hers, his body so close she could smell the faintly spicy smell that was uniquely Draco, she felt boneless as her head drifting to his shoulder, when he whispered in her ear, "Just be a good girl and tell me. You know you want to." How did she wind up playing truth or dare with Draco? And how was she going to tell him her favorite sexual fantasy, when he had a starring role in it.  
  
"Ummm, well," her voice wavered as he leaned in further trapping her between the hard wall and the hard, warm planes of his body, while he looked down at her with that sexy half smile on his face, as if he knew exactly what she was going to say.  
  
And then she heard Harry's voice, "Expelliarmus," and she nearly slid down the wall as Draco suddenly flew back away from her and crashed into the desk behind him. Harry marching into the room determined to teach Draco a lesson once and for all, while Ron walked up to Hermione and grabbed her arm, pulling her back up to her feet. Draco was still lying stunned on the floor, cursing up a storm, while Hermione could only shake her head, still somewhat in a daze.  
  
Suddenly Hermione broke free of Ron's grasp and darted in front of Harry, who was still intent on attacking Draco, "What the hell do you think you are doing? I mean have you lost your mind? You could have killed him." Harry now had a confused expression on his face, as he watched her kneel lean down next to Draco.  
  
"B-but-but we were helping you." Harry stuttered out, looking to Ron for help. Ron just shrugged his shoulders, he didn't understand this either.  
  
"Help me?" She cried out in disbelief, "by attacking someone from behind, who didn't do anything. What if he had hit his head on the desk, hmmm? You could have broken his neck. Even if we had gotten a teacher or Madame Pomfrey here, they couldn't fix that. Why did you attack him, when he wasn't doing anything?" She stared up at him for a moment, as his mouth gaped open, before sighing in disgust and turning back to talk to Draco in a voice too quiet for him to even hear.  
  
"Are you ok?" She looked at Draco, her cinnamon eyes darkened with worry.  
  
"Ahh, don't worry about it. I'm fine", his hand reached up to briefly caress her face, before he pushed himself up to his feet, and then he leaned down to pull her up to her feet, as well.  
  
"You know, Potter, it is still considered bad form, not to mention cowardly, to attack someone from behind. Anytime you want to pick a fight with me, you're on, but do me the curtsey of at least attacking me face to face, ok?" Draco said scornfully.  
  
"Fuck you, Malfoy. Maybe you should try picking on someone who can fight back, then by intimidating girls half your size." Harry threw back at him, before focused on Hermione, "Come on Hermione, I don't know what he was saying to you, but we heard him threatening you. It's nothing to be ashamed of, so you don't have to protect him. Just come with us and we'll figure something out so he doesn't bother you anymore."  
  
Hermione looked at him stunned for a moment, before shaking her head wearily. She sat down in the nearest chair and looked back up at him. "Look, Harry, I think you mean well, but I really have no idea what you're talking about. Draco wasn't threatening me, I am in no danger, I am not ashamed, and even if all those things were true, which I assure they are not, I think I could still take care of myself. So what are you talking about?" Her voice sounded tired, even to herself and she just wanted to leave and go to her room, for a very overdue nap. A brief smile slipped across her face, as she closed her eyes to feel Draco standing behind her chair, as if he knew how she felt and began massaging the knots out of her neck and shoulders.  
  
They suddenly opened again, however, when Harry's voice exploded in rage, "GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" She looked up to see his normal wan face turn an alarming shade of red and she suddenly rose to her feet, as she securely grabbed her wand.  
  
Both Hermione and Draco suddenly grew still as they closely watched Harry; even Ron gave him a wary look.  
  
"What on earth is going on in here, hmmm?" Hermione slowly released the breath she had unconsciously been holding as she slightly leaned back against Draco's taller frame. Never had she been so glad to hear Prof. Snape's voice.  
  
"Well, I am waiting. Someone had better start explaining this and fast." Snape's eyes grew narrower as he surveyed the unusual expressions on his the faces of his students, ranging from relief, anger to resignation.  
  
TBC  
  
Here's the list of those very wonderful (& very patient) people who continue to read & review me.  
  
allee kat, Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, cad, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;), Sucker For Romance, Madame Padfoot, Jackie, Ally-sama, Caroline, Linnie, hermioneG89, Redundant Goddess, imlosnoches, Em, SugarShortys23, DrAcO*AcErbuS, Selena, Cascade of Darkness, mousie, Hermie13, lauriena, Fire Goddess, mysticalcancer, Krystle Nicole, DarkIllusion, Adris, Mrs.Amanda Malfoy, Dragona, stewy, Draco's Babe, wolf, Silver Starlight, zombie-miho, lutra,  
  
Melinda, Sexy Oscar, kid, sai (who wrote my 100th review woo hoo ;), Calypso in Love, Draco's Honey, Goddessnmb1, bubsey.b, Melly, Athena's Quill, Scratches (Hi Dee, my wonderful beta-reader ;), & lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;).  
  
Once again, thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review  
  
Random Beta's note- Well hello Fair readers.. I'm going to be writing a fan fan fiction to this story so look for it on my page because you should just read it.. *smiles* also, check out my fan fiction if you are into humor.. *bows* I AM the greatest humor/PWP writer' *laughs maniacally then coughs..* ok we know whose ego is very high today!! ^-^;; Keep the Light! Dee  
  
read & review 


	12. The Competition

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. I know my posting are becoming more delayed, but I promise to keep writing, albeit slowly. BTW I hate the title of this chapter, so if a better one occurs to you, please let me know. Anyway, here is the next chapter . . . enjoy (& of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews.  
  
"Ummm, ummm," Harry's mouth gaped wide open, as the sound of Snape's voice, like a bucket of cold water, seemed to cool his sudden rage as quickly as it struck. Harry stood dumbfounded as his two closest friends stared him, as if they were afraid of him! Time seemed to stand still for him as he tried to understand what had just happened. He could feel Snape's eyes burning into him, as he stared at Draco, standing partially in front of Hermione, smirking in that way that only Draco could. Harry could feel the embers of rage rekindling, he knew Draco had set this into motion and that he, the boy who lived, had just taken the bait.  
  
"Well . . . "Snape's voice dripped with contempt, "I assume that none of you have lost your ability to speak." He drawled out, giving each of them a dark glare in turn, as he idly wondered which one of them would break first. He knew it was petty of him, but he simply couldn't resist watching them squirm. It added to the few small pleasures left to him in this place.  
  
Hermione gave a quick sideways glance to Draco, who responded with a brief smile, before he spoke, his voice cutting through the thick tension in the room.  
  
"Hermione and I were here for our detention, " his lips sliding over the syllables, drawing all the focus of the room to him, "when Potter and the Weasel, "interrupted us. Apparently, they were very interested in our . . . discussion."  
  
"And what, pray tell was so engrossing about this discussion?"  
  
Giving Draco a quick dirty look, Hermione blurted out, "ummm we starting talking about love potions."  
  
"Oh, really, and what about them, hmmm?"  
  
"Yes, I'd love to hear this one too," Draco whispered in Hermione's ear, before sitting up on one of the desks, and giving her an innocently curious look.  
  
"Well," Hermione began hesitantly, her mind frantically trying to fabricate an answer that would satisfy Snape enough to get rid of him. Come on, girl, you haven't got all day, think! You've got to come up with something good. Think of potions . . . what was in that book that Draco was reading in the library . . . "Ummmm, we were debating the effectiveness of Brimstone and Treacle Nightmare as opposed to . . . umm," Hermione's voice faltered under Snape's scrutinizing stare.  
  
Draco winced as saw his plans of Potter and Pansy falling apart, not to mention the likelihood of getting out of this Snape situation without all of them, him and Hermione included, losing major points for their houses, and as much as he would enjoy watching Potter and the Weasel suffer, he wasn't quite so thrilled about him and Hermione being involved.  
  
"As opposed, of course, to the far more kinder and gentler, not to mention more ethically sound," Ron glared at Draco for a moment, "Aphrodite potion." Heads whipped around, stunned to hear such a Percy-like sentence emitting from Ron's voice. Ron blinked and just shrugged, as if to say 'hey, sometimes I do pay attention in class'. Hermione threw him a grateful look and Harry just looked even more confused then before.  
  
" Well, since you seem so . . . impassioned," Snape smiled cunningly, "the four of you can work together and create a presentation for the class, including of course, the brewing both Potions. I'll expect it, hmmm let me think. . . Sometime next week, I'll announce the date in your next class.  
  
"I think you should work in teams, Potter and Weasley, you may work on the Brimstone and Treacle Nightmare and Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy will work on the Aphrodite potion. This will be graded as a competition of sorts, with a losing team," he pointedly looked over to Harry and Ron, before favoring Hermione and Draco with a curious smile as he finished, "and a winning team." He waited a moment as they absorbed his news, before turning away. He paused at the room to toss over his shoulders, "Messer's Potter and Wesley, shouldn't you both be back in your common room by now?" As Harry opened his mouth in retort, Snape smoothly cut him off, "As Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy should continue their work, I see no need for either of you to further disturb them, especially now when you have work of your own to do, hmmm?" His smile broadened maliciously as he waited until Ron and Harry collected their belongings and began walking away. He nodded to Draco as he too finally left the room.  
  
"A presentation on love potions?!?!" Hermione wailed, "Together!?!?" Her voice rose in disbelief as she collapsed up against the nearest wall and slid to floor. "What is that man thinking!?!?!?" She ran her hand haphazardly through her hair as she looked up at Draco to see him . . . giggling?!?!? "You're laughing?!? Oh, no, you cannot be laughing." She stood up and began rapidly pacing around the room, as she continued ranting at Draco, as he still sat on the desk with a mock serious expression on his face. "Have you lost your mind, Draco?!? This is not a time to be laughing." Her voice continued to rise with each word she spoke as she walking towards him and started poking him into the chest with a finger to punctuate what she was saying. "Don't you get it? This is disastrous . . . You, Harry and Ron are all going to kill each other and I'm going to get caught in the crossfire and we are all going to die!!!"  
  
Draco arched an eyebrow and captured her still moving hand in mid-air and deftly slipped it behind her back and pulled her tight against him so she stood trapped between his legs. He tilted her face up to his, "Hermione, no one is to die," adding mentally, 'not yet, anyway'. And even if you were right, which I assure you that you aren't, don't you think I would make sure you were safely elsewhere?" His voice was a soft mummer and she felt herself relaxing, until the words began once again to make sense in her head.  
  
She gasped for a moment, as if she had suddenly heard his unspoken thoughts, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at him sharply, "Oh my god, you really do mean to kill them, don't you?!?" She abruptly pulled back, but Draco having already anticipated this move, only tighten his arms around her, trapping her once again. He sighed for a moment, pulling her increasingly resistant body closer until he rested his chin on her sweet smelling hair. "Hermione, if I had really wanted Potter and the Weasel dead, don't you think I would have tried already? I mean, most people around here would give their lives to save either of them. Ignoring the fact that Voldemort has tried, hell , I don't even know how many times he tried to kill Potter and failed. Did you ever think that I would be sent to Azkaban for attempted murder, do you think I don't know how much you would hate me?"  
  
TBC  
  
Here's the list of those very wonderful (& very patient) people who continue to read & review me.  
  
allee kat, Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, cad, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;), Sucker For Romance, Madame Padfoot, Jackie, Ally-sama, Caroline, Linnie, hermioneG89, Redundant Goddess, imlosnoches, Em, SugarShortys23, DrAcO*AcErbuS, Selena, Cascade of Darkness, mousie, Hermie13, lauriena, Fire Goddess, mysticalcancer, Krystle Nicole, DarkIllusion, Adris, Mrs.Amanda Malfoy, Dragona, stewy, Draco's Babe, wolf, Silver Starlight, zombie-miho, lutra,  
  
Melinda, Sexy Oscar, kid, sai (who wrote my 100th review woo hoo ;), Calypso in Love, Draco's Honey, Goddessnmb1, bubsey.b, Melly, Athena's Quill, Krystle Nicole, Sil-Chan, steele, Give Me Stitchez, Scratches (Hi Dee, my wonderful beta-reader ;), & lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;). ï??  
  
Once again, thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review,  
  
If the grammar/spelling isn't perfect I do apologize & promise to clean it up later on, but I'm sick right now, so I'm just going to post as is, it *should* be ok, as far as I can tell . . . time for bed & medicine (  
  
As always, please read & review . . . 


	13. Who Came out of the Closet? or How to P...

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. Anyway, here is the next chapter . . . enjoy & of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews. BTW everybody, please say Hello and give a little wave to Dee (AKA Scratches) the wonderful, wonderful, wonderful (yes that was 3, lol) person who has volunteered to beta this story. A quick note sorry for the delay, but I had a slight issue of my disk that I have all my chapters on before posting mysteriously vanished, before suddenly reappearing with a new saved doc. on the meaning is disutopiaâEs in 1984, leading me to one of 2 conclusions, either Hermione's campaign to free house elves has spread to across the Atlantic with a disturbing new element of anarchism or my sister couldn't find someone elseâEs disk to save her homework on {{{sighing}}}. Sorry for the delay, lol, I have since labeled the disk & moved it to a more (& hopefully safer) location. This chapter is a new & different twist in the story that I come you will enjoy {{{hint, hint, review & tell me all about it, lol}}} & might make up a bit for the delay.  
  
Hermione suddenly stilled at Draco's hushed tones, inhaling a deep breath as she debated whether or not she could allow herself to believe in him. She let her body relax into his embrace, wanting nothing more then to stay there forever, away from the rest of the school and even the world, even as she knew it couldn't.  
  
Above her, his chin still resting on top of her head, Draco's lips curled slightly into a smile. This is how it should always be, he thought to himself, and I won't let anyone, not the Weasel, Potter or even Hermione, herself, take this away from me. His smile abruptly faded, however, as Hermione suddenly ripped herself free and he cursed himself for letting his guard down.  
  
"Hermione - " he began, but she quickly cut him off.  
  
"Look Draco, I can't handle this right now. I've got to go to my room to think and sleep. I'm exhausted and I've had a very long and strange day. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"  
  
"Are you sure you're ok?" Draco asked her quietly, sensing that this was not the time to push her.  
  
She smiled weakly and met his eyes so seemingly full of concern for you. "I'm really not sure how I am, but I'm sure things will be better tomorrow."  
  
Draco looked at her, seeing her determination in the very way she stood. "Ok, but if you want to talk to me later on tonight, just send me an owl, or you can meet here early tomorrow during breakfast & I'll bring some raspberry croissants, ok?"  
  
Hermione slowly nodded her head, and then she suddenly leaned in and quickly brushed his lips with hers and pulled back just as quickly. Before he could even respond, she was out the door and down the hallway.  
  
Watching through a crack of light that spilled out of a barely open doorway, Severus Snape shook his head . . .  
  
"Children, children, children. When I was their age . . . ." He sighed momentarily, as Draco, looking vulnerable and somehow lost, quite as if he were much younger and had gone, present in hand, all excitedly to a party, only to find that he had arrived far too late, after all the other children had devoured the food, eaten the cake, even taken away all the goodie bags, and that he couldn't seem grasp the reason why, but understanding that he had, once again, been left behind.  
  
He looked around the room, as if seeking for some esoteric answer, that great snitch catch of life, which seemed to always elude him, before gathering his bag and after one last finally searching glance, he also quietly left the room. Snape opened the door and began to step out after the fair haired boy, before slowing pulling back to watch him walk away, and noiselessly shut and locked his office door, before walking through his office into his personal space.  
  
"Sevvie . . . .Sevvie . . . come out, come out wherever you are . . . I want to play." Snape's dour statement began to melt, even as what now seemed to be pre-naturally aged years evaporated away, as his lips began to curl upwards into a smile and his steps began lighten, as he listened to beguiling voice of his Devious Divinator. He closed his eyes to better focus in on her voice and slowly spun counter clockwise. Walking in silence, he quickly grasped and opened his closet door to look down upon his delightfully tumbling sprite. He quirked his head slightly to the side as he looked down out her, as her curly brown hair that glistened an unusual, but still compelling bright green when caught properly in the light, spread around her as she smiled up at him.  
  
"My dear, do you plan on laying on the carpet all night long?"  
  
Her laughter rang out through the room, "Well actually baby, I was wondering how long it would take me to convince you to join me down here"  
  
"Oh were you now?" his voice grew slightly husky, as he watched her roll over, until she was balanced on the balls of her feet, and her splayed out fingers tips. She tilted her head up to smile at him wickedly for a moment, before her suddenly out swept leg caught him around the back of his knees and sent him crashing down onto the carpet. Infinity proceeded to sit on his chest, grinning like a Cheshire cat down at his bewildered statement.  
  
"Hmmmm, now that was, what, under thirty seconds? My powers of . . . persuasion must be improving," her voice drawled smugly.  
  
"You think so?" Snape asked as he deftly rolled her beneath him, firmly pinned her lower body down, even as one hand slipping under her neck, pulling her face mere inches from his own.  
  
She let out a breathy sigh, as she rolled her neck back against the strength of his hand, unable to resist one last parry, "Well, you might not approve of my methods, but even you must admit my success."  
  
"Ah, but you merely won a slight battle and it would appear that I am still wining the war," he smirked, as his rough thumb became to tease the delicate skin of her throat, "and, of course, to the victor, go the spoils," as he leaned down to capture her lips with his own.  
  
Sometime later, as they both lay contentedly on his bed, she leaned up on one elbow to look down at him, while playing with a curl of her hair, and asked, "Speaking, of battles and victories . . . how goes our young Slytherin in his quest to win the fair Gryffindor?"  
  
Snape sighed, before sitting up to run his fingers through his hair in a gesture of utter frustration, as his lover's eyes began to twinkle as the sheet fell to his lap, exposing a large expanse of skin that she knew was always fun to explore.  
  
"Yes, you would have to ask that question, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Awww, problems for the young lovers?" Her seductive voice didn't quite seem to match the meaning of her words as she drew herself up to a sitting position to drop a kiss on his shoulder . . . that suddenly moved out of reach as he stood up and walked away from the bed in an agitated pacing pattern.  
  
"Wwhhhhaaaatttttt . . . " her suddenly outraged cry rang out for a moment, before being suddenly muffled, as she inelegantly fell headfirst into the pillows that Snape had just seconds ago been leaning against.  
  
"Problems . . . ha!!! That word aptly fits those two miscreants, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley," Snape seethed, "as if it wasn't having to worry about Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort and the motley pack of Dead Eaters wasn't bad enough, now we have to worry about those two interfering, as well?!?! Is there no justice in this world!!! I mean, while we're on the topic, do you think that there is anyone else out there," he gestured wildly, "who would like to make their opinion known concerning the relationship of those?" Snape demanded as he furiously paced, stark naked, in a semi- circle around his bed, oblivious to his pouting lover, and everything else.  
  
"Ummm, well since you did ask, Professor Snape, I too have my own. . . particular perspective on all of this," Professor Dumbledore's mildly commented, as Snape turned to face the headmaster, presenting him with a somewhat different look, as he was still half erect.  
  
Snape's lover yelped as she buried herself beneath the sheets, only to suddenly roll over and off the bed, as Snape who stood frozen in disbelief for a few seconds, jerked the sheets out of her grasp and quickly wrapped it toga-style around his body.  
  
"I realize that I've caught you both at," he discreetly coughed, "a slight disadvantage, for which I do profusely apologize, but I had knocked and there was no response. I didn't realize that you were . . . ummm, entertaining, I'll just go and wait for you both in the office, so that you may collect yourselves and we'll talk some more." And with that, Dumbledore turned and wandered out through the door, closing it behind him, without a backward glance.  
  
"Oh my God!!!" she shrieked, she scrambling on the floor, black velvet dress in one hand, while frantically hunting for her unmentionables, while Snape stood frozen in his impromptu Roman attire. "That was . . . that was . . . " her voice seemed incapable of continuing her sentence.  
  
"The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore," Snape's voice woodenly supplied, as he continued to stare at the door, as it vainly trying to un-imagine the last few moments.  
  
"Yes, that's who." She hissed out, from behind a cloud of black velvet, before tugging it down over her hips. "And for Merlin's sake, Severus, WILL YOU PLEASE GET DRESSED!?!"  
  
Shaking his head, as if still dazed, he turned to look at her, before looking down at his very familiar black silk "robe", and letting out a good fifteen minute stream of curses that even impressed her, as she stood in front of his cackling mirror, trying to bring some sense of order to her hair.  
  
When he finally was dressed decently, albeit in very wrinkled clothes, he looked at her very soberly, before taking her hand and resolutely walking through the doorway and into the room that so formally had been his office.  
  
TBC  
  
"none shall pass . . . unless they review", lol I am an easily bribed fanfic writer ;)  
  
Here' the list of those very wonderful (& very patient) people who continue to read & review me.  
  
allee kat, Hermione, Caitie, DaZeD, Linnie, cad, sandy, Book-Lover-210, Megan, scythe_fire, Alanna, Angel, ViEiRA, hdsagjyaf (my very first reviewer ;), Sucker For Romance, Madame Padfoot, Jackie, Ally-sama, Caroline, Linnie, hermioneG89, Redundant Goddess, imlosnoches, Em, SugarShortys23, DrAcO*AcErbuS, Selena, Cascade of Darkness, mousie, Hermie13, lauriena, Fire Goddess, mysticalcancer, Krystle Nicole, DarkIllusion, Adris, Mrs.Amanda Malfoy, Dragona, stewy, Draco's Babe, wolf, Silver Starlight, zombie-miho, lutra,  
  
Melinda, Sexy Oscar, kid, sai (who wrote my 100th review woo hoo ;), Calypso in Love, Draco's Honey, Goddessnmb1, bubsey.b, Melly, Athena's Quill, Krystle Nicole, Sil-Chan, steele, Give Me Stitchez, Shay, steele, CurlyWhirly, Scratches (Hi Dee, my wonderful beta-reader ;), & lastly wearenotamused (Hi Ellen ;). (  
  
Once again, thank you all so very much . . . & please continue to read & review,  
  
As always, please read & review . . . 


	14. Infinity Is Her Name & Mischief Is H2r G...

Disclaimer time - I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own the characters in her Harry Potter series. I'm just borrowing them for a little chaos & dissolute fun & I promise to return them in an only somewhat disheveled state. Anyway, here is the next chapter . . . enjoy & of course please review . . .what can I say, I'm addicted to reviews. Warning - I got sssoooooooo excited by my sudden inspiration that this chapter has not been betaed, lol - so beware typo's. & I'm actually working on the next chapter - woo hoo ;) Anyway - enjoy  
  
Chapter 14 - Infinity is her name & mischief is her game  
  
Tonight was Hermione's night to stay up late and pace. Images of the past few days whirled through her mind - Harry and Ron dead (and as if that was fucked up enough), Harry and Ron suddenly alive, but somehow morphed into airhead chasing assholes (hmmm, not even going to touch that one, it was too . . . icky), Draco Malfoy being nice for a change (unable not to snicker at that), Draco actually kissing me (and how yummy that was), Harry (the asshole) trying to kill Draco (and what the hell was that about - mentally filing that question away to ponder later), the fact that I kissed Draco, even though I suspect he is up to something (and honestly, when is he not planning something, but that look of shock on his face was just too good to pass up) or the fact that I plan to kiss him again - very soon and frequently.  
  
"Aaaarrrrggggghhhhhhhh!!!" As cute as he is, that boy (ok, on second thought, man - but I won't be admitting that to him, anytime soon) is distracting the hell out of me, and I collapsed backwards onto my bed, trying to get him out of my mind for one minute. "I just really want to know when, precisely, my life got so incredibly fucked up!?!"  
  
Lying there, staring up, but not actually seeing the ceiling, but instead totally focused on trying to figure out a way out of this disaster, she called her life, she laughed grimily to herself. "Well, when in doubt, I suppose one should always go directly to the source of the problem." Satisfied that even if she didn't have a definitive solution yet, at least she was finally beginning to take some initiative, she stood up and began walking intently to the door. Walking past the mirror, which as usual just sighed at her, she looked down at her clothes and for once actually agreed with her mirror, because for what she had in mind, school attire, simply wouldn't do. She closed her eyes, mentally running through her wardrobe, before a small smile slid across her lips, and she spun around towards her dresser.  
  
Dumbledore turned to face them, as Snape and the girl warily entered the office.  
  
"Excellent, now that we are all here, I think we need to discuss some things. Most notably," he pointed one finger long finger at the pixie faced girl, "Infinity, I must admit that I am quite disappointed in your behavior - "  
  
Interrupting him, she rapidly jumped in, "Headmaster, I know what it must have looked like, but truly, I *can* explain - "  
  
But before she could finish, she cut off by Snape, "Professor Dumbledore, I take complete and full responsibility for all of this and I will, of course, fully understand if you ask me to leave."  
  
Infinity gasped and opened her mouth to protest, but Dumbledore, after giving her a hard stare, resumed speaking. "Professor Snape, while it is very honorable of you to attempt to try and shield Infinity, it is also quite futile." He raised his hand to silence both of them, as they both seemed on the verge of speaking, "Since I know for a fact that you were in class teaching, when she arrived in Hogwarts and did not report to my office as she had promised to," and he paused briefly to look at her reproachfully, "you are completely faultless in this matter."  
  
Dumbledore lowered his head, biting back a smile, as they looked at each other and back at him, speechless for once, before he reached into his robe and pulled out a chocolate frog that he tossed to Infinity, who with a somewhat bemused expression on face easily caught it.  
  
"Now young lady, we will forget this time, but for the record, both Fawkes and I were anticipating your visit and were very disappointed when you did not arrive, and we do expect you to stop by occasionally during your time here at Hogwarts, after all, you were one of my favorite students and I won't even deduct any points, from Gryffindor, as a result."  
  
"But, ummmm Headmaster, I graduated a long time ago, anyway." Infinity protested a somewhat confused smile.  
  
"Exactly, my point," Dumbledore declared, still smiling as he settled himself down on plush chair, "and now that we've sorted that all out," his voice grew lower in seriousness, "we need to discuss the current students of Gryffindor and Slytherin, most notably Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy. And in that regard, I believe you two have some explaining to do."  
  
Hmmmm, leaning back in the soft comfy chair, I watch as they both try and evade my gaze and internally sigh. Students may grow up, leave and sometimes even return and join the staff, but when confronted by an authority figure, they all seem to fall back into old habits and these two are no different. But as much as I enjoy a trip down memory lane, time is growing short very short.  
  
"I know what you two have been plotting away at," he watched as two pairs of eyes met his, before quickly darting away, "and while I applaud your intentions, I have to seriously question your timing. I am afraid that the actions you have set into motion have the potential to spiral dangerously out of control. Now since, I believe, you are equally to blame, I expect you both to carefully observe and if necessary take action, do you understand me." He watched as they both nodded in agreement. "Excellent, now that has been established, lets move on. Infinity, I had arranged for housing for you elsewhere, but under the circumstances, of course, if you would prefer your current arrangement, I would certainly understand."  
  
"Ummm," Infinity began, shooting Snape a quick glance.  
  
"Yes, I think that would be fine, " Snape broke in, trying to maintain some sense of propriety.  
  
"Wonderful, wonderful . . . I so do like it when students and even former students getting along so well. Well, I should be off. Tomorrow will be coming soon enough." Dumbledore stood up and began walking to the door, holding the door open, he turned back to add, "by the way, Serveus, I wanted to commend you for your insight, while I wouldn't have necessarily anticipated a relationship between Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger, upon reflection I see the attraction of the unconventional choice. I will however caution you, that while our students may believe themselves to be mature, we know that is entirely true, and that matters of heart are often more fragile than we think, so a measure of restraint on your part in regard to a certain student or two, may be wise. Remember, despite some of our most fervent wishes, none of us live in a vacuum, emotional or otherwise." And with that, he let the door close behind him.  
  
Infinity walked back into the Snape's and now she guessed her private quarters and fell back on the bed, "Ok, why do I suddenly feel like I'm having a flashback to when I was seventeen?"  
  
Serverus gave her a sidelong glance as he began to strip before dryly commenting, "Well, probably because that was Dumbledore's intention all along." Shaking his head, he stretched out to lay on the bed. "I still haven't quite figured out how he does it, but if I didn't know better, I'd swear that man has eyes in the back of his head, eyes that can see through walls."  
  
"Ummm, baby, considering what we were doing earlier that's not exactly a reassuring thought."  
  
"Oh no?" Snape pushed himself up on one elbow, before leaning across the bed, one arm firmly pulling Infinity's body against his, the other sliding down her upper thigh to play with the hem of her dress. "What is the matter . . . hmmm, you didn't enjoy it?" His voice was pitched lower, as one hand slid up to squeeze her breast through the thin cotton material, and the other inched underneath her dress, as he slowly began to trail his nails up her flesh.  
  
Arching her head up into the crook of his neck, she murmured, "well, if you're going to put it that way, I suppose I could be . . . ummmm, persuaded." His only response was a low chuckle, as he pulled her back and rolled her under him.  
  
"Draco Malfoy," Hermione whispered as she lurked down in the dungeons, outside the Slytherin common room. Luckily, for her, in the excitement of Harry and Ron's return, neither of them had thought to collect or maybe even look for the Marauder's map or the Invisibility cloak, which worked out all the better for her. Now if only she could find that hidden passageway into the Slytherin common room, with any luck she could make a midnight visitation, with none being the wiser . . . 


	15. Maybe Leather really is More Your Style

Chapter 15 - Maybe Leather Really Is Your Style  
  
"Dammit . . . according to this bloody map, the stupid door should be right here, but is it? Oh no, of course not, that would actually be logical." Hermione glared at the wall, because after running through every spell she had ever memorized and even after trying a few that she was fairly sure weren't in any books, after triple checking her coordinates, she was about ready to give up. "Maybe, it's just as well, after all, what would I say to him . . . 'HI Draco, I couldn't sleep because of you, so even though I know that I shouldn't even be out of my house at night, I decided to break into your room to what . . . interrogate you, flirt with you or hell, outright jump you?' She smirked for a moment, before thinking, If he doesn't laugh at me, he might very well report me or think I've lost my mind." Sighing, she leaned against the dammed wall . . . only to suddenly find herself falling through it, to land head first on a plush carpeted floor.  
  
Draco lying sprawled out on his stomach, looked up from his arthimarcy homework to the very strange sight of his wall seemingly evaporating, sending a Hermione dressed in leather literally tumbling into his room, before the gray particles condensed back to reform as a seamless section of the wall. Arching an eyebrow, he calmly put out his lit cigarette out in the conveniently located ashtray, using his remote control turned off the music that was playing, before pushing himself up and untangling his limbs to stand up and walk over to her, as she rolled herself over onto her back. Looking down at her, Draco bit the inside of his check to stop himself from laughing.  
  
"Now I know that you want my body, Hermione, but really my dear, instead of breaking into my room to ravage me, you had only to ask," he commented dryly, unable to resist smirking at the very end.  
  
"Draco, get over yourself for a minute and help me up." Hermione bit back, all too aware that she was literally lying at his feet and that he was only half dressed . . .  
  
"Yes, your ladyship," he bit back his laughter as he leaned down, to pull her up to her feet.  
  
Standing again, Hermione's hands slid down her leather clad legs, as she brushed away the non-existent dust particles, eyes lowered to the floor, as she tried to act as normally as possible under the circumstances.  
  
Draco's head was tilted slightly, as he hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of his beat up black jeans, while he waited for her explanation, the smile on his face growing with his anticipation. Showing up at his room, dressed in tight fitting black leather pants, with a low cut black top that clung to all the right curves, at this hour?!? Unless he missed his guess entirely, Miss Granger was definitely embracing her darker impulses and he couldn't have been more pleased.  
  
Damn him, why doesn't he say something, Hermione asked herself. Sneaking a peak at him through her eyelashes, she gasped & bit her lip, as she realized that he was nicely cut, reluctantly dragging her eyes up higher, she noticed his smirk, before her eyes locked with his.  
  
Watching her watching him, Draco couldn't help but be amused, as he stared back at her, but he had to hold back his groan as he watched her tongue dart out to lick her lips. Feeling himself harden slightly, he suddenly began moving towards the bed to light another cigarette, in an effort to calm himself.  
  
"Ummm, you're not going to ask me what I'm doing over here," Hermione asked, slightly put out, as she walked over towards the bed, where he sat smoking a cigarette, seemingly ignoring her.  
  
Taking a deep drag, he sighed, releasing smoke that slowly drifted to the ceiling, before responding in a slightly bored tone that belied his true emotional state, "well, I figured that you'd tell me when you were ready." Without sparing her a glance, he grabbed his remote control & turned the music back on, but he lowered the volume to a conversational level.  
  
"What are we listening to?" Hermione tried again, as she tried to figure out why he was ignoring her.  
  
"The Buzzcocks 'Ever Fallen in Love With Someone You Shouldn't'." After a brief but heavy pause, he looked over to see a blank expression on her face, one corner of his mouth quirked upward and he continued, "British muggle punk band, from the 70's. You do know what punk is, right Granger?" At the negative shake of her head, he laughed, "ahhh Hermione, there is more to life that studying, you do know that much at least, right?"  
  
"Hey, that studying has more than paid off for me and I do other things too," Hermione was beginning to get annoyed now - here she was sitting on his bed, looking pretty damn good and all he could do was either ignore her or laugh at her.  
  
Leaning back against the wall with his legs stretched out in front of him, Draco looked at her, sitting so primly on the very edge of his bed, as Sisters of Mercy began streaming out of his stereo. "Oh calm down, I'm only teasing you." She shot him a look that could kill, so he restrained his laughter as he put up his hands in mock surrender and asked her, "Do you like this song?"  
  
"Why? What is it more punk?" Hermione bit back, still glaring at him, as if daring him to laugh.  
  
Biting his check, he answered, "Nope, it's more gothic. Do you like it?"  
  
"It's ok," she replied, suspiciously.  
  
"Ok, as a peace offering, do you want to go to a concert and hear them live?" Draco's voice was very steady, as he consciously was keeping it very calm.  
  
Hermione stilled, as thoughts began rolling through her head. Was Draco actually asking out on a date? What should she do? Did she actually dare accept? When she realized that he was waiting for her response, she suddenly began babbling, "ummm, when, because you know we have that test coming up in arthimarcy and now we have that project for Snape and you know we aren't really allowed out of school and I wouldn't know what to wear & it's not like I have a lot of money, and - "  
  
Draco smiled, despite himself, after observing Hermione, he could tell that she wanted to come, but was just stalling. "Well, it's after our arthimarcy test, but before out Potions project is due, but considering that we're the best students in that class, it shouldn't be that much of a problem and the show is on a weekend, so I can make sure we'll be fine on that account. You can wear what you're wearing now, trust me, it'll be just fine and since I invited you, I'll take care of paying, so all you really have to worry about is saying that you'll come with me."  
  
"Ummm, ok, in that case . . . yes?" Hermione despite her best efforts, couldn't keep her voice from squeaking on that last word.  
  
Putting out his cigarette, Draco's smile broadened, as he popped a quick tic-tac in his mouth, because fresh breath is always a priority. He leaned back against the wall that his bed adjacent to, having being pushed in the corner of his room, as Hermione continued to sit almost as far away from him as she could. "Great, now that is settled, what did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
Hermione was only partially listening to him, as her thoughts whirled around inside her head. She was somehow going out on a date, off school grounds to a club, probably muggle with Draco Malfoy?!?!? Who even knew that he listened to muggle bands? Or that he would go out with a Muggle born, more specifically her - I mean ok, so they were flirting and even messing around a bit, but for him to have asked me out on a date?!?! What the hell is going on?"  
  
"Hermione?" Draco looked at he for a moment, before he recognized that familiar far off look in her eyes - translated it meant that she was talking to herself again. Smirking he began again, having decided to try something out, "yeah, so after the concert, we'll go to a fetish club, you'll look so good chained up against the wall, naked except for a collar, writhing in a combination of pleasure & pain -"  
  
"What?!?" Exploded Hermione, turning her head to directly stare at him.  
  
Draco began laughing, even after Hermione punched him in the leg, she may be trying to hide it now, but he saw that brief flare of interest in her eyes and it wasn't something that he would easily forget. "What? Oh, come on, you know you weren't even listening to me for most of that, anyway and at least it got your attention," Draco defended himself. "Besides," began with a mostly sexy and only slightly lewd grin, "I happen to think that you'd look damn good in chains," his eyes narrowed and grew darker, as his eyes imprisoned hers with his own, " or maybe, you're right, maybe leather is more your style."  
  
His hand reached up to play with the few tendrils of hair that spilled free of the careless knotted style she had spent 45 minutes struggling over to get just right. Subconsciously, she slightly tilting her head to give him better access, sighing as his fingers slid down her face, before he slowly dragged the back of his fingertips down the pale white column of her neck, then delicately across the high rise of breasts revealed by her low cut shirt. Feeling himself harden again, he kept eyes contact with, noting with satisfaction as her cimimion eyes began to darken with desire. Stunned, Hermione stared at him for a moment longer, before shaking her head slightly, breaking free of his intense stare. "Ummm, I think maybe I should be getting back to my house, since it is pretty late and all now," Hermione's voice was husky and hesitant as she slowly began rising to her feet to leave.  
  
But she was just a bit too slow , because when she stood up, Draco was already standing in front of her, as she stared at him in surprise, he quirked a quick half-smile, "what? You really don't think that I'm going to let you wander the school in *that* outfit, especially though the Slytheryn house, do you? Come on, Hermione, you knew exactly what you wanted when you came looking for me in my room, at this hour, dressed like that and I'd really hate to disappoint." Sardonically smiling, he gave her a push strong enough to knock her backwards onto his bed, where he quickly straddled her body, and grabbed her wrist in one hand pulling them back and holding them down over her head, effectively pinning her to the bed, beneath him. Squirming and kicking, Hermione did her best to dislodge him, but he weighed too much and panting she laid there acquiescent, but only for the moment, glaring up at him, "Get the fuck off me, Malfoy, before I scream this place down!"  
  
"Scream all you want, Hermione, but no one, except for me will hear you and that is just well, I suppose because I'm feeling a bit possessive where you're concerned and this way, when you scream and I promise you that you *will* scream, it will be just for me. This room is completely soundproofed, that is how I can listen to the music or," giving her a meaningful look, "do other things, without waking everyone else up." Draco smirked as his free hand cupped her left breast, his fingers teasing her erect nipple though the thin material of her shirt and he lowered his body down on top of hers. One of his legs sliding between hers, while he drew his tongue slowly across her neck, before whispering into her ear, "besides, if you're honest then you'll admit that last thing you really want is for me to let you go."  
  
Pulling back a bit, his face hung in the air, mere inches away from here, she could feel his warm breath that escaped his lips brush hers, even as his fingers played her nipple, squeezing it, circling it gently, before suddenly pinching it hard. Unable to stop herself, she felt her body arch upwards closer to his warmth, in response Draco slid his free hand up under her shirt, "Hmmm, no bra I see." Grinning when she refused to acknowledge him, his fingers began soothing her sore flesh, before beginning that insidious teasing and torment that he was so good at, her body began to relax under his touch. When he suddenly he pinched her nipple this time, cruelly twisted it and holding it painfully until she sharply gasped. Once again his touch began gentle, but Hermione refused to look him in the eye, she tightly clenched her eyes shut, even as she tried to pull her hands free - testing her bonds, so to speak, in a futile effort. His grip was too strong and she realized that she was enjoying this, enjoying what Draco was doing to her, she liked knowing that she couldn't get away and she definitely the way he was making her feel - the pleasure and the pain. Ideas which was slightly troubling, but as he continued to play with her body, she found herself unable to focus on it anymore.  
  
In her self-imposed darkness, it seemed all of her other senses were in overdrive - she could hear his ragged breathing above and feel the warmth and heaviness of his body through her clothing, the smoothness of his taunt skin where it met hers, the contrast between his denim covered leg that was slowly rubbing between her leather clad legs. She felt lost in a haze of need, as something deep inside of her began to burn and she knew that she needed more, but not quite what. One of her legs slowly twined around his, pulling him more tightly against herself and she heard herself moan - because this was better, but still not enough. She slowly opened her eyes to see him staring down on her in what she could only describe as predatorily, as he began to grind more forcefully against her core and her body involuntarily ached up towards his in response. "Good girl," he whispered to her, before his mouth suddenly moved over hers, claiming her lips for his own. 


	16. Harry's Nightmare

Usual Disclaimer - if you recognize it, it's probably not mine unless you plan to give me lost of praise & or money, without any fear of lawsuit or legal problems, lol. To those who've been patiently waiting for updates, I offer my most profuse apologizes, but I've got a really good excuse - I was abducted by aliens . . . lol, no, seriously . . . ;) Actually, I'm in the middle of my semester abroad, in England no less, in the outer suburbs of London & I'm having a great time, the only downside though is between traveling to exotic locale & walking everywhere else, my school work, working on my thesis & the absurdly ridiculous time I have been allotted on computers at my school - I have very little time to work on this fic & I've pretty much been reduced to internet cafes. I haven't stopped work on this story at all, I just have very limited time online, which makes posting new chapters, a challenge at best - add to that the problems my beta has been having with her computer & this all translates into delays. But I am doing the very best I can & I have started work on the new chapter & since I just finished a huge paper that was due today, I will hopefully have more time to get the next one up ASAP. Anyway, here is the newest chapter, so please, read, review & enjoy . . .  
  
Chapter 16 - Harry's Nightmares  
  
Harry sat on his bed, having finally managed to ditch a cloying Pavarti, who was pouting because he was going to have spent at least part of his free time on his project with Ron for Snape. 'God,' he thought to himself, 'Hermione would have never acted like that.' Hermione . . . for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, I mean, ok, in retrospect, maybe making her the person to find him and Ron "dead" wasn't the smartest choice and he supposed that, yeah, maybe they should have told her earlier, but . . . associating and protecting Draco? Their arch- enemy?!? What the hell was up with that? Looking over at the clock, he saw that it was 12 - he was never going to get to sleep at this rate. He knew there was no point to try to talk to Ron, he had passed out earlier in bed with Lavender, who had thankfully, since left. Thinking back over it, he shook his head, because you'd think they'd at least wait until everyone else was asleep or at least pretending to sleep, before they went at it.  
  
Although, he had to admit, when he first got back and saw Pavarti, he had acted no better, but somehow it wasn't as good as he had always expected it would, who knows, maybe he rushed through it too much. A smile briefly slid across his face, when he thought back to Hermione, because he knew that she would NEVER be caught dead making out or anything more in public or otherwise. Although, and his expression turned darker the more he thought about it, she'd have no lack of willing partners, not the way she looked. Which, of course yet another reason why he had to make her be see reason in regards to Draco, who was definitely up to something. Aside from the fact that he *was* Draco Malfoy, or that his father was - no is - a Deatheater, even if he wasn't going to use Hermione against him, Harry had heard things about him and how he treated his women, classic example - look how he treated Pansy.  
  
"I can't believe him, he just gets back, we did it once and now he is ignoring me?!?!" Harry winced, he recognized that voice heading in his direction and she did not sound happy.  
  
"Pavarti, he *is* a man and you know how they are," Lavender tried her best to calm her friend, but couldn't entirely hide her smirk.  
  
"Oh, what? You think that you're better than me? Where is Ron, hmmmm?" Pavarti's voice rose slightly more high pitched as she demanded an answer from her so-called best friend who was *actually* laughing at her.  
  
"Well, actually he is in his bed. I kinda of exhausted him, if you know what I mean," she flashed the other girl a bright smile, "that is actually why I was in the kitchen, he asked to get some food to help 'restore him back to strength' so we could do it a few more times," barely containing her laughter.  
  
"What?!?! You mean you did it more than once and you're going to do it again!!!!" Pavarti's voice jumped a full octave as she shrieked. She stopped to stare at her friend, who tried and failed to look abashed, while ignoring the laughing faces that suddenly began popping out all the way down the corridor of people who obviously overheard her and were hoping for some more good gossip.  
  
Harry stood at the doorway frozen like a deer in headlights, as he saw them 5 feet away in the hallway, obviously coming to his and Ron's room, while everyone else was laughing - he was trapped - this was a NIGHTMARE of epic proportions! Darting back into the room, he quickly locked the door and dove under his bed to get his invisibility clock, which to his horror he discovered was gone! His forehead slumped to the floor, his glasses slid off his ears to prop up between his head and the dirty wood floor. How could he forget? When they set up their plan to convince everyone that they were dead, he had given the cloak to Hermione, so she could play the lookout when they snuck off grounds and while she was scouting the nearby area, he and Ron set up their death scene, so she would come back and find their bodies. Of course, she must still have it.  
  
Hermione, now he had the perfect excuse to talk to her and considering that most of her roommates were otherwise engaged, it was the perfect time. Suddenly, he heard *that* voice again and he knew he had to escape fast because that lock wouldn't hold them for long, his head popped up, hitting the bottom of his bed frame, while his glasses fell, sliding deeper into nether reaches of dust. Reaching out his arm, he fought off the fiendish dust bunnies to find his glasses, slide out on his belly from under the bed, swiped the grime off his glasses and he grabbed his broom. Looking back at the still peacefully sleeping Ron, Harry felt a small twinge of guilt, because he wouldn't be so relaxed very soon, but desperate times called for desperate measures and when it concerned Pavarti and Lavender, it was every man for himself. So broom in hand, he put his glasses back on his face, where they hung at an odd angle, and cast one last look back at the now turning knob. Seeing the bright flash of light from underneath the door, he nodded to Ron as one would to a fallen comrade in arms, before throwing one leg over his broom, his robes waving a salute, as he whispered an incantation and leapt out of the third story window, as the door suddenly swung wide open.  
  
And of course, Harry was taken by surprise when he couldn't find Hermione no matter where he looked, he even searched through her things, looking for the Marauder's map, narrowly missing the note that Draco had sent Hermione by owl that, of course, would have been his clue, which considering what she was doing was just as well.  
  
Draco leaned over Hermione, his fingers tracing the delicately pale skin, still slightly flushed from her first orgasm, noting with satisfaction the occasional bruise left by him, maybe it was primitive of him, but he didn't care, they were marks of possession, his possession of her and this was still just the beginning. She turned slightly as she began to stir in his arms; he favored her with a tender smile, as she gave a little whimper, before burrowing herself more deeply against his warmth.  
  
Opening her eyes, she watched Draco watching her, as his eyes flared with banked desire. And her eyes quickly tilted downward to avoid the emotions she saw in his. "Draco," she whispered, her voice muffled by his chest, "I'm sorry."  
  
Startled, his eyes took on a look of confusion, he looked down at her but she refused to meet his gaze, so moving back slightly he slid one finger beneath her chin tilting her face up to him, while his other arm still held her snugly against him, because of all the things he imagined would have been her first reaction, an apology wasn't one of them. So, keeping his voice gentle, he asked her, "now, what are you talking about, hmm?"  
  
Looking up at him, he saw her eyes well up as her body tensed up against his, as she whispered, "well, I mean," her voice dwindled off into silence, before she looked away from him and continued, "you made sure that I was taken care of and we didn't have sex or anything else. I mean you're still wearing your jeans and -"  
  
"Hey," Draco's voice cut her off as he his fingers found her chin and pulled her back to face him, "look - don't worry about me, ok? I know this was your first time and I wanted to make it all about you, I'm might be a *bit* bossy, but -"  
  
"Ha . . .a bit?"  
  
He just grinned, "ok, maybe a lot, going to make something of it?" Without waiting for her response, he continued, "yeah, I thought so. But seriously, I'm not going be that much of a bastard to rush you into anything, when I know you're not ready, trust me there will be time enough for that."  
  
"Yes, but I didn't do anything . . . I mean I could have done other stuff, but I didn't," her voice wasn't as upset as earlier, but Draco was still not entirely satisfied.  
  
Sighing, he tried again, "Hermione, I did exactly what I wanted to & you let me - that was all I really needed. Watching you & know that I was the one doing those things to you, that you wanted me to and that you were enjoying it - that was all the satisfaction I needed, ok?" He looked down at you, but she still looked not entirely convinced, "Hermione, if I had asked, or told you to do the things you're thinking of now, what do you really think the odds were that you wouldn't?" Watching her blush was all the answer he needed, "yeah, exactly my point," he smirked at her. Looking down at her, he could still see the shadows in her eyes and knew there was something else that she wasn't telling him. "Ok, what else is bothering you?"  
  
Looking up at him in surprise, she paused for a moment, "well, I'm not really sure how to say this, but - "  
  
"But what?"  
  
"Well," she began again, "it's obvious that you have more experience in all of this and - " she stopped briefly, before exclaiming, "damn but this is a bit awkward . . . "  
  
"Hey, " he caressed her face, "you can ask me whatever you want, you don't have to be shy or feel weird about it, considering everything, I'm actually the one at fault here," propping himself up on an elbow, "because this is the type of stuff that maybe we should talked about earlier. So what do you want to know?"  
  
"Umm," Hermione blushed, "well I suppose we should discuss our sexual history - ummm, you know mine, or my lack of one anyway, but I don't know anything about yours and ummm, well, even I know that you have to be at least a little . . . ummm "experienced'?"  
  
Giving her a slightly bitter smile, Draco nodded, "ok, I know what you're talking about, but just to warn you, you might not like what you hear." He paused for a moment, waiting until she acknowledged his statement with a hesitant nod of her head, before continuing, "I've had about 4 partners over 4 years - "  
  
Gasping, Hermione sat up, pulling the sheet up to cover herself and broke in saying, "but that means you had sex at 13?!?!"  
  
Grimly, Draco arched an eyebrow, before shrugging his shoulders in response, "yeah."  
  
"With who?" She demanded to know.  
  
Sitting up himself now, he ran his fingers through his already tousled hair, "no one you would ever know."  
  
"What some friend of your father's deatheater's daughter?!?" Hermione's voice dripped with sarcasm.  
  
Draco visibly flinched under her cold stare, before he turned away from her to light up a cigarette, after taking his first drag, he answered her in a flat and monotone voice, "no, when I was 14, my dad took me to a muggle callgirl to "learn the ropes" as he so delicately put it."  
  
"What?" The anger had drained out of her voice, leaving only shock.  
  
"Yeah," he laughed bitterly. He turned back to see her watching him with a look of concern on her face and his voice gentled. "Now it wasn't as bad as all that, I mean it certainly wasn't my ideal, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been either. She was older, obviously, maybe in her late 20's-early 30's and she knew I was a virgin and did her best to make it as good as possible under the circumstances, but it's not something I'm particularly proud of. The other 3 were unforgettable at best and in the past, you wouldn't know any of them either."  
  
"Oh Draco, I *am* so sorry - " she began, clearly remorseful over her instinctive reaction.  
  
Looking away again, he took another slow drag, before shrugging his shoulders, "don't be, you have no reason to apologize, it's hardly your fault and it happened a long time ago. There was no way you could have known and considering the way I've behaved sometimes, it's wasn't that big a stretch, I suppose. It's just the way things worked out." He paused for a moment, before adding in a satiric and mocking tone, "besides it's "the Malfoy way" and I'm nothing if not a Malfoy."  
  
"Draco, you are nothing like your father." Hermione's voice was emphatically firm.  
  
Put out his cigarette, he turned back to look at her, arching an eyebrow as one corner of his mouth quirked up into a half smile. "And you say that with such conviction," he mused, almost to himself. "I wish I had as much faith as you do."  
  
Hermione looked at him in the awkward silence that fell between them, trying to find the right words to convince him that he wasn't like his father, her fingers worrying the edge of the sheet that she still clung to her body  
  
Watching her in the silence, his attention drawn down as she continued to unconsciously fold & smooth out the hem of material, a slow grin forming on his lips, he moved closer towards, "and besides, why are we talking about my father when we could be talking about so many other interesting things, hmmm?" His hand suddenly reached out to jerk the sheet out of her hands and he couldn't resist smirking as she blushed.  
  
"Ummm and exactly what sort of those things would you be thinking about?" She asked in slightly frustrated voice, as she bit her lower lip in consternation as she tried unsuccessfully to pull the sheet back.  
  
"Fun things . . . things I'm sure you'd enjoy," his voice deepened suggestively.  
  
"Yeah, like what?" She frowned as she continued to lose the tug of war over the stupid sheet that he refused to let go of.  
  
"Things that you will not need this sheet for," he stretched out onto of the sheet, effectively ending that battle, his eyes sliding over her nude body. She gave him a snide look for a moment, before smirking as she reached for his long ago cast off blanket at the far end of the bed. He rolled his eyes at her backside, before reaching over her body and snatching the blanket out of her grasp. "Or that. You are just determined to be difficult tonight, aren't you? Perhaps, you need a bit of discipline?" He held her down by the back of her neck against the bed for a moment, firmly but gently before he loosened his grip and ricocheted back up.  
  
She narrowed her eyes at him, as she rubbed the back of her neck as if it hurt, noting with satisfaction as he looked a bit guilty at the possibility that he might have hurt her, because a little guilt on his part, couldn't possibly hurt her cause. Lowering her arm, she looked at him for a moment, before she began, "and that reminds . . . "  
  
He tilted his head at her, he waited for her to continue.  
  
"If we're going to be involved, I'd like to know exactly how kinky are you?"  
  
Draco snickered, he had expected a conversation around this topic, but he hadn't expected such a blunt question. "What are you going to tell me that you didn't enjoy it?"  
  
Pushing him back so he was laying on the bed, she leaned over him, with as a smile crept across her face, "well, no, I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but I am curious."  
  
"Well, you know what they say about curiosity, don't you?" He laughed again, as he looked up at her face framed by a curtain of her hair. "I'll go about as far as you'll let me."  
  
"Hmmm, well, I'm thing I'm going to have to go and research this thing later on."  
  
"Research? You are kidding me, right?"  
  
Throwing one leg over him, she straddled his body and shook her head, "nope, I'm serious. Research is always a good thing and a little knowledge never hurt, besides, " she said now laying on top of him and dropping her head back to his chest, so she didn't have to look him in the eyes, she said quietly, "I just want to please you, make you feel how you made me feel."  
  
Smoothing her hair, he answered, "& you did, believe me, but hey, next time, you can do whatever you want to me, ok?"  
  
"Anything?" Hermione's head popped up with a wickedly mischievous smile, "you mean like, if I want to chain *you* to a wall naked?"  
  
Arching an eyebrow, Draco quickly flipped them around so she was lying underneath him, his hands holding her wrists like a manacles to the bed, and said, "nope, I believe I said anything 'within reason' my dear, because when we start playing with chains, trust me, I won't be the one in them." Looking down at her still naked body, he felt himself growing hard again, he closed his eyes fiercely for a moment and when he opened them, they were molten silver and heavy with passion. He lowered his head and he laved the area with his tongue before he bit down deeply. Hermione let out a low moan as her arms curled around his back as she angled her neck upwards to give him better access.  
  
Review, review, review & I'll love you forever . . . ;) 


	17. The Tease

Ummmm - yeah, the usual disclaimer. LOL, please read, review & enjoy ;)  
  
Chapter 17 - The Tease  
  
"So please don't listen to me, there is no such thing as human debris I know I'm not broken, a little cracked, but that amounts to nothing I want to laugh, I'm not joking Oh yeah, I'm not broken, a little cracked, it's just a token"  
  
  
  
Draco was sitting up in bed and looked over at the grandfather that showed it was 6 am already, he'd been up for about an hour, purely out of habit, but Hermione was still sound asleep next to him. As much as he hated the idea, he knew it was past the time, when he should have woken her up so she could get back to her room. Sighing, he turned the music even lower, before leaning back and twisting to his side, so he was laying down next to her again, propped up on one arm. Reaching out with one arm, he gently brushed away a few stray strands of hair, lying across her still sleeping face. "Hermione," his voice was barely audible, but she must have registered it on some level, since she mumbled some sound of discontent and pulled his blanket up above her head. Draco smirked at this small sign of rebellion on her part, before he yanked the blanket off her body and she instantly shot to an upright position.  
  
"Oh my God! It is *freezing*, give me back that blanket this second!!!"  
  
Draco's smirk only grew upon hearing the outrage in her voice, but since she was shivering and had that certain gleam in her eyes that promised pay back, he obliged and held back his laughter, as he watched her quickly wrapping it around herself. "What did you expect? This is the bloody dungeon after all," he asked with a sarcastic smile.  
  
She rolled her eyes at him, before she got a glimpse of the time, "Oh my God, it's after six, already!!! Why didn't you wake me up!?!" She gasped out in horror, pulling the blanket back over her head as she fell backwards onto the pillow, with a little moan.  
  
Laughing down at her, Draco answered, "I did wake you up and you yelled at me for my trouble, remember?"  
  
Peeking out from under his blanket, she shot him a dirty look, before she got up, dragging the blanket with her as she began searching for her clothes.  
  
Draco watched as she found her shirt first and put it on. "Besides you looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you up, until I had to."  
  
Without looking back at him, she laughed, "Yeah, right. I'm sure that is why you decided wake me up, by letting me nearly freeze to death by stealing the blanket."  
  
Smirking at her back, he watched as she held her leather pants in one hand and the blanket still wrapped around her tightly in the other, wondering when she would ask the obvious question.  
  
"Draco, do you know where the hell my underwear wound up?"  
  
Yep, that would be the question. "Nope, did you look under the bed?" He lied with just that perfect amount of confusion in his voice, since they were safely buried in the bottom of his closet.  
  
She looked over her shoulder at him, with a suspicious glance, before lying her pants on the bed and bending over to check under the bed, holding the blanket to make sure she was fully hidden from his angle.  
  
"They're not there either."  
  
"Hmmm, well they have to be here somewhere right?"  
  
She sat down on the bed, still looking suspiciously at him.  
  
"What?" He raised his hands innocently.  
  
"Why don't I believe you, hmmm?"  
  
"Hermione, why would I steal your underwear?"  
  
"I don't know," she began before looking at the clock again, "Damn, I have to get back to my room, before anyone wakes up!"  
  
"Well then, it looks like you'll have to go without your underwear, I guess." Draco answered calmly, as he stood up and walked over to his closet to grab a shirt for himself, closing his eyes briefly at thought of Hermione wearing nothing but leather.  
  
Her eyes opened as if she hadn't ever considered the idea, "But -" she began hesitantly.  
  
"What?" He asked, "I do it all the time, when I'm in a hurry."  
  
"Yeah, I guess it's once, just this once." She answered slowly, before making the decision and quickly putting on her pants. Standing up, she still felt undressed, wearing nothing but the leather against that most sensitive part of herself. "Do I look ok?" She asked him standing up in front of him, now fully dressed, well almost, anyway.  
  
"Ok?" He laughed, "no, Hermione, you look gorgeous, as always."  
  
"Ummm, well, ok. I guess I should get going now, I'll umm see you in class, I guess." The words came out awkwardly, but she Hermione felt a bit out of depths, as she ran her hands through her, trying to smooth it out, because this was hardly an every day event for her.  
  
Hiding his smile, Draco turned back to her, "how about we meet before potions again, ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess that would be ok," she answered, gathering up the invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, as she began walking back to the wall that she had come through. "Ummm, Draco, do you know how to make this wall work?"  
  
"Oh that? Yeah, it's just like getting to platform 9 ¾, you just walk through it confidentially."  
  
She turned back to look at him, only he was suddenly standing inches away from her, blocking the wall. Looking up at him, still only half dressed, she stared up at him, trying to avoid his well-defined chest and a soft, "Oh," spilled from her lips.  
  
"What? On no, Hermione, you didn't really think I'd let you leave without me getting goodbye kiss, at the very least did you?" His warm breath gently brushing against her lips, as he looked down at her with those molten silver eyes. One hand slipped beneath her hair, tilting her head back to face his own, while the other snuck between her thighs, and began rubbing her through the warm leather.  
  
Hermione's breath grew shallow as she looked up into his eyes and felt a tendril of desire begin to rise up inside of her, from where his fingers kept insistently rubbing against her, as he leaned down to capture her lips in a fiercely possessive kiss.  
  
Draco almost smiled as he felt her beginning to respond against him and he resisted the urge to slip his fingers into her pants and drag her back to bed, because after all, this was just the teaser. Her tongue began to duel with his, as she moaned against him. He felt himself hardening yet again, as he continued to rub her harder and he slipped his other hand under her shirt as he began to torture her nipples again, always starting off gentle, before tightly pinching them, only to soothe them again. She dropped what she was carrying as she began running her hands across his warm flesh. Draco, himself, had to hold back his own moan, when she lightly began scraping her nails down his chest.  
  
He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to hold back, when he suddenly felt the moisture of her arousal through the leather and that was what he'd been waiting for. His fingers suddenly clamped down on her nipple, painfully twisting it, while his other hand still rubbing against her became very rough and her body stiffened in his arms, his mouth ripped away from hers and found that place right where her neck met her shoulder that was already sore from last night and bit viciously down. Her sudden cry of pain, tinged with the pleasure his touch had already brought her rang through his ears, before he suddenly stopped. Her body practically fell into his, as he pulled her head into his chest and rested his chin on the top of her as his one hand rubbed her back and the other held her tightly against his frame. While his voice softly whispered little nothings into her ear. After a few minutes, when he had regaining control over his raging hard on, and he figured she had enough time to recover herself, he looked down at her. "You ok?"  
  
She looked up at him, his eyes softened into a light gray of concern as she took a deep breath to try and calm her body, still aching and wanting more, "Ummm, yeah, I'm fine," but the breathiness of her voice belied her true state.  
  
"Good, because as much as I would love to keep you here all locked up with me, it is getting pretty late."  
  
She looked at the clock, Hermione cursed under her breath when she realized that it was nearly a quarter to seven. She pulled herself free from Draco's embrace to put on the cloak and slipped the map in the pocket, as she gave him a passionate, but too brief kiss, and darted out of his room.  
  
Draco watched her run out and walked back to his bed, laughing to himself. She was going to want to kill him, when she saw that hickey he left on her neck, but he had ensured that she'd be unable to think of anything but him for the rest of the day. Raising his fingers to his nose, he deeply inhaled her smell of Hermione and leather, and his eyes grew darker and his erection began to hurt again. Taking his erection in his free hand, he smelled his fingers again and closed his eyes, remembering the way she had reacted to his touch last night, as he jerked himself off. Thinking of the state he had just left her in, moments ago, his body tightened, as he found his release.  
  
Not as good as it will be with Hermione, but it was enough for now, he decided as he let himself fall back in his haze. After all, he had plots and plans to work through, and he had to be able to think clearly. And before he was finished Hermione Granger was going to belong to him - body, mind, heart and soul - and no one, especially not Potter and company would be able to stop him. Greatest of all, Potter didn't even have a clue.  
  
Pulling the cloak tightly around her as she made her way back across the school. Hermione tried desperately to ignore the desire Draco had ignited in her body. But with every step she took, she could help but feel the leather pants clinging to her aroused body and rubbing against her clit. It was enough to drive her insane, and her shirt was no better. Why hadn't she worn a bra last night?  
  
A smug voice inside her head taunted her, saying she wanted to tease Draco, well she got what she deserved didn't she, before the voice broke out into giggles. This was crazy a more rational voice spoke up, things like this do not happen to Hermione Granger. The smug voice only laughed in response.  
  
Hermione shook her head, she had to get a grip on herself, she decided, because between voices that she was suddenly hearing and the way her clothes were tormenting her already painfully aroused body, she'd never be able to make it make to her room. She decided to mentally recite the "Hogwarts a History," from memory, but all she could think about were the growing demands of her body and Draco's wonderfully evil fingers. She sighed in relief as she finally reached the painting of the fat lady that guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor common rooms and gave the password. Walking inside, she was relieved to see that the common room was still empty, excellent this might be easier then she thought. She started walking up the stairs to her room and began to bite the inside of her check, as her breasts hanging free under her shirt began to bounce with her every step. The friction was painfully arousing against her sore, but pebble hard nipples, which only further sensitized her still engorged clit that continued to rub itself against her tightly, molded leather pants.  
  
She could feel her fluid that Draco had so patiently began, continue to soak through her pants as she finally reached the top of the stairs, where she had to lean against the wall, since she was afraid that her unsteady legs would give out beneath her. Taking a deep breath, she mentally cursed him out, because only he could make her walk this line between pain and pleasure. Biting her lower lip, she began walking towards her room and quietly opened the door. Slipping inside, she quickly sighed in relief, because it looked like her roommates - Ginny, Lavender and Pavarti, were all with their respective "significant others." She frowned for a moment, because she couldn't believe Harry and Ron were actually sleeping with those airheads, but considering where *she* had been all night, she smirked, she couldn't complain, especially when it saved her from what would definitely be a few awkward questions.  
  
Smiling, she pushed the cloak back onto her shoulders, shaking her hair free, only to suddenly scream when she noticed a figure curled up in *her* bed, glasses resting on *her* nightstand!!! 


	18. Surprise, Surprise

Usual disclaimer, lol, I'm getting lazy, but since I just finished 3 chapters, you should be happy . . . By the way, to those who had questions from Chatper 16 about the title & Harry . . . this should clear things up for you . . I hope. Please read, enjoy & review . . . oh & before I forget . . . again, lol, the lyrics that began chatper 17 were Bad Religion - I love that band ;)  
  
Chapter 18 - Surprise, Surprise  
  
Hermione was gorgeous all dressed for the ball and not for the first time, Harry couldn't believe how beautiful she looked, and or some reason, he couldn't remember why he hadn't invited her. Instead, she came with Krum, but since he was out of sight for the moment, Harry decided to take advantage of the situation, walking up to Hermione, he asked her to dance.  
  
She tilted her head for a moment, as if she was making sure he was serious, before that smile that he loved so much blossomed on her face. She shyly placed her hand in his and he spun her into his arms as they began to dance as if they had been made for this. Each movement he led with, she matched in elegance, and soon they found themselves alone outside under a moonlit sky. Pulling his eyes away from her warm cinnamon ones, he saw Krum, walking around in confusion, holding two glasses of punch. Sighing, he looked down at Hermione, unwilling to let this moment end.  
  
"What's the matter, Harry?" Her soft voice quietly asked.  
  
Put on the spot, he said without thinking, "Krum is looking for you, he wants to take you away from me."  
  
Her eyes seem to glow in the light as she laughed. "And so what? You know that it's you that I love."  
  
Startled he looked down at her in shock. "You do?" At her nod, he continued, "But you came with him."  
  
"But Harry, you know I only did to make you jealous, I don't care about Krum at all, I don't care about anyone but you, I've always wanted you."  
  
Holding her body tightly against his own, he dug his face into her neck, as he took a big sigh, before confessing, "Really, because I lov ---"  
  
Suddenly Harry was startled by a sudden high-pitched scream, as he blinked his eyes, seeing only the pillow that he was holding against his face that he quickly tossed aside, before looking up to see a blur. He lay there for a moment in complete confusion as his brain placed that scream and registered it as Hermione's voice. Opening his eyes again he saw only a blur, before he fumbled for his glasses, only to see the see Hermione's head with an expression of complete shock floating above him, while he was lying in her bed.  
  
"Harry Potter!!! What the hell do you think you're doing in my bed!!! At this hour!"  
  
Hermione couldn't believe her luck. What the hell was he *doing* here, in her room and in her bed and where the hell was Pavarti?!?! Better yet, had the hell was she was going to get out of this without having to explain what she was wearing and where *she* had been all night long?  
  
"Ummm, what time is it?"  
  
  
  
"What time is it?!?" She repeated in horrified fascination, "it's nearly 7:15 in the morning, so get the hell out of my bed, before someone finds you here . . like your *girlfriend*!"  
  
"Oh my God," he exclaimed, as he threw off her sheets and blankets as if they had the plague, when only moments ago he had been clinging to them. Sitting up, he ran his head through his rumpled hair as he tried to remember last night, before looking at Hermione suspiciously. "I came here looking for you, because I wanted to talk about yesterday. Wait a minute, if it's 7:15, where have you been all night long?"  
  
Damn, he would have to ask that, she watched as his brow begin to wrinkle, when she blurted out, "I was in the library, researching our new potions assignment and just got back to find you sleeping in *my* bed!" Hermione held her breath as she waited to see his reaction, she thought she had put just the right amount of indignation in that to be believable and besides he didn't have any real reason to suspect otherwise, right?  
  
"You were researching all night long?" He asked in disbelief and was rewarded with a baleful stare.  
  
"Unlike some people," giving him a narrow-eyed stare, "I care about my grades."  
  
Well, Harry, shook his head, he couldn't argue with that, because if anyone would study all night, it would be Hermione, but something seemed . . . off, but he couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
"Now you have to get out," Hermione said frantically, looking at the door in dismay, because anyone could come in at any second and that was the absolute last thing she needed at the moment.  
  
"But, we need to talk," Harry protested.  
  
"Not now," Hermione insisted, looking back at the door. "Your girlfriend, Lavender or Ginny could walk through that door anytime. Do you want to explain to them, to Pavarti, what you're doing in my bed, for Merlin's sake?!?!" Hermione could hear her voice rising, but she couldn't stop herself from going into full-blown panic mode.  
  
"Pavarti?" Uh oh, she had said the magic word and now that Harry was awake again, he began to panic as well, because if Pavarti found him, like this?!?! Ohh, that would be very, *very* bad. "Ummm, yeah, Hermione, we'll talk later, ok?" He found his broom, quickly slipping past her and hurried to the door. Looking back at her with a pained expression, he slowly opened the door and peeked outside to see that the coast was clear, giving Hermione a quick smile, he ran down the hall, letting the door slam behind him.  
  
Hermione walked to the door and securely locked it, before walking back to her bed to collapse on top of the rumpled sheets in a boneless heap. Harry Potter spent the night in her bed, while she was in the bed of Draco Malfoy - could her life get more fucked up? Taking a few deep breaths, now that Harry was gone and her panic had began to abate, her still unsatisfied body began to make itself heard again. Sitting up, she removed Harry's invisibility cloak, tossing it into a corner as her right hand began to creep down slipping between the soft warm leather and her aching flesh, when she heard the unmistakable whining voice of Pavarati approaching. Dammit, can't I get just one break?!? She asked aloud, as quickly moved her hand back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling in frustration for a moment, before jumping to her feet to put on her school robes and change into her normal white cotton shirt and black skirt.  
  
She sat down on her bed, shoving the leather pants and velvet shirt into her dresser, just as Pavarti and Lavender burst into the room.  
  
"I cannot believe him!!! I waited all night long and he never came back. Do you realiz-" Pavarati was ranting at the top of her lungs.  
  
"Yes, Pavarti, I realize, I was there, remember?" Lavender voice was tired and resigned, "he never came back, so you'd stayed, waiting for him, complaining to me and Ron all night long!" Under her breath, she said, "So we could be miserable too."  
  
"What?" Pavarti demanded, her head spinning back to Lavender.  
  
"Ummm, nothing, I was just saying hi to Hermione," Lavender quickly said, as Pavarti's head spun back around.  
  
Hermione looked over to see Pavarti glaring angrily at her and Lavender looking over her shoulder desperately at her, biting back her laughter, she took mercy on Lavender, and nodded at Pavarti, who just snorted before continuing her rant to Lavender, who gratefully smiled at Hermione.  
  
Shaking her head, Hermione, found a pair of fresh underwear to slip on, but couldn't find a bra. Looking at the clock she swore under her breath, if she wanted to meet Draco, she'd had to leave now, but considering the state she was in, not wearing a bra was a very bad idea. Then again, looking down at her self, no one could see that she was "at a state of attention" with the robes on and if she could ignore the feeling of the cotton against her erect nipples, she'd be fine, besides, she had to tell Draco about Harry. Sighing, she walked to the mirror and quickly brushed out her hair, before grabbing her bag of books and walked out of the room, ignoring the still bickering two girls.  
  
~  
  
Harry tentatively opened his door and seeing alone Ron lying on his bed, crept in. He almost made it to his bed, when Ron suddenly asked, "And where have you been, because you're girlfriend is such a bitch!!!"  
  
Wincing, Harry sat down on his bed. "I'm sorry. Was it that bad?"  
  
"That bad?!?! That girl would not leave Lavender and me alone all night long. I wanted to kill her. Harry this, Harry that - man, all I wanted was to get some, but constantly hearing your name just does not do it for me. So where the hell were you?"  
  
Harry weakly laughed, "Well, umm, that's the funny part. I was in Hermione's bed."  
  
Ron abruptly sat up, "What?!?!"  
  
Quickly jumping in, Harry added, "Well, she wasn't in it or anything, I mean come on Ron, this is Hermione we're talking about here. I feel asleep waiting for her, because I wanted to try and talk through stuff, but she was studying in the library all night for that project Snape gave us. Well, when she got back, she found me in her bed she freaked, waking me up. I managed to sneak back here avoiding Pavarti and Lavender, but I heard her. She is so going to kill me!"  
  
Ron fell back on his bed laughing, "Well, if you tell her you were in Hermione's bed, she'll definitely kill you, so, you'd better make something else up, before breakfast." Looking at the their clock, he groaned, "Fuck, it is breakfast time, so much for getting any sleep today, which by the way, you owe big time for Harry. Next time you decide to ditch your girlfriend in our room, you'd better warn me first."  
  
Slowly, they both got up and got their stuff together and joined the line of students on their way down to the great hall.  
  
Once the great hall was filled, Dumbledore announced the start of a new teacher, who would be taking over the arithmancy class, filling in for Professor Vector, who was taking a leave of absence as Professor Infinity Owens. She stood up and smiled at the wave of applause she got from the students collected in the audience. Her smile wavering briefly at the disturbance at the Griffyindor table between Harry and an angry Pavarti. Also, at the coincidental absence of the two students she was most looking forward to meeting - Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy - who unbeknownst to anyone else, were engaged in other activities in the potions room.  
  
Review, review, review & I'll love you forever . . . ;) 


	19. Lessons

Usual disclaimer . . . LOL, please, enjoy, read & review  
  
Chapter 19 - Lessons  
  
Draco waited impatiently, pacing back and forth, hoping against his hope that she hadn't had the chance to relieve herself yet. He was planning to keep her on tenderhooks for as long as possible throughout the day, so that tonight, she'd be ready to beg him to take her.  
  
So ok, he wasn't playing fair, but he was a Malfoy, and when he wanted something this badly, he knew the best thing do was just to take it. He was going to tie Hermione to him so tightly that she would never even want to try to break free, and physical ties were the easiest to make and would speed up the emotional ones. Besides, the image of Hermione lying beneath, begging him to fuck her was enough to make him want to cum on the spot, but he still wasn't sure if he would. He couldn't help it, there were just so many games he couldn't wait to play with Hermione, he almost didn't know what to do first. Hmmm, maybe tonight, he'd bring out some of his toys to show her. The fact that she was still so innocent was just such a turn on for him; he couldn't wake to begin her corruption.  
  
"Draco," Hermione's voice was tentative, as she looked at him standing there, muscles bunch into pure coiled energy, with this intense inward expression on his face.  
  
His eyes darted up her hers and she instinctively bit her lip as a wave of desire overcame her as she stared into the volatile molten silver of his eyes. In two quick strides he reached her, in one more he had her pinned against the wall and his equally unmovable body. Pulling up her robes to her waist, he insinuated one his leg between hers, pushing his hardness against the soft cradle of her body as his other hand slid to cup her face, as he rested his forehead against hers.  
  
"You're killing me, you know that." His voice was hoarse, even to his own ears as spoke what he knew to be the truth. "You come in here, with that look in your eyes - that soft, vulnerable, like you're melting where you stand look - that look you get just when you're on the brink of an orgasm and it's all I can to do, to force myself not rip your clothes off."  
  
She smirked up at him, even as she began rubbing herself against his thigh and she wrapped one leg around his hips, pulling him closer. Taking his other hand, she slipped it under her robes against one of her breasts, so he could feel her erect nipple, through her cotton skirt. "Would it help if I mentioned that I'm not wearing a bra?" And she laughed as he groaned, she had never felt this kind of power over anyone, and she quite liked the feeling of bringing Draco Malfoy to his knees - laughter that quickly turned into a whimper as he took her lead and began teasing her nipple through her shirt, as she bit her lower lip.  
  
"Keep doing that and you might bite it through, which would make me very unhappy," he whispered into her ear, before soothing her lower lip with his tongue, before he began kissing her again.  
  
Suddenly Hermione heard voices coming from behind her and realized that any second, about fifty of their classmates were about to burst him on them and her hands pushed against Draco's chest and to pull her mouth away from his, but Draco was far stronger than her and wasn't about to let go of her. Hermione forced herself to bite down on his lip to get his attention, cringing when she tasted the coppery taste of Draco's blood, as he pulled back in shock, his face darkening by the second.  
  
"The class is coming," she hissed at him, still pushing him back. His expression relaxed as he understood and quickly stepped away and turned his back to her as he gathered his stuff and began walking to his desk. Giving her a quick smile of reassurance, he reached his desk just as the first students began piling into the classroom, and he quickly sat down to hide his own arousal. He glanced over at Hermione, her lips still full from his kisses and her eyes unusually bright, he might be uncomfortable, but he was sure she had be dying. Smiling, his tongue played with slight wound, Hermione had given him, but considering the hickey he had given her that he just see peeking out of her robes, which she hadn't seem to have noticed yet - he couldn't be that upset over it.  
  
Snape began a long lecture on love potions, which Draco supposed he should have been interested in given his new assignment, but he couldn't keep his eyes off whatever was happening at Hermione's table with Potter and the Weasel. Considering the state of arousal, he knew she must still be, he had expected her to be agitated, but something else seemed to be going on over there that he couldn't entirely read. In particular the interaction between her and Potter greatly disturbed him, even though, it seemed more on his side than hers, and for once Snape was actually too busy to pay attention to the Gryffindors.  
  
As their behavior continued and Hermione seemed to be getting upset, Draco had enough. An induced coughing fit was enough to get Snape's attention and then he subtly tilted his head towards Hermione's table, where Potter and the Weasel were quite animatedly trying to talk to her, while she continued to ignore them.  
  
Snape turned around fully to stare at them, while the rest of the class followed his example, while Potter and the Weasel seemed oblivious to the sudden silence in the classroom, Draco smirked and watched along with everyone else. Hermione was instantly aware of being the sudden attention and covertly kicked Harry then Ron to get their attention, and they suddenly stopped in mid-sentence.  
  
"Mr Potter and Mr Wesley, do not let me and the rest of your class that are actually here to learn stop you from continuing your discussion because, of course, it must be fascinating." Snape paused, for a moment, before continuing, "No, it isn't? Hmmm such a shame," he shook his head mockingly. "Or perhaps it is that you did not realize that your project was to be worked on by yourselves and not Miss Granger?" Turning back to the class, Snape commented, "Messer's Potter and Wesley are in a little competition with Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy to prepare two very difficult potions for a presentation they will give us on Monday." Turning back to the Gryffindor table, he continued, "and since it appears that Mr Potter and Mr Wesley seem unable to restrain themselves with asking questions of Miss Granger, it appears that it will be necessary to remove her from the temptation of helping them. Miss Granger I would like you to take either empty seat next to Mr Malfoy until further notice, do you understand."  
  
"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered as she gave Harry and Ron an apologetic smile, gathered her things and began walking across the classroom to sit next to Draco, who only gave her a cool half smile. Sitting down, she pulled out her paperwork and began to follow the lecture that Snape had began to give again, as Draco ignored her completely, until she felt the weight of his hand resting on her upper thigh and pulling at her robes, before slipping below them to tease her bare flesh exposed by the short shirt.  
  
Hermione gasped as she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, but his handsome profile revealed nothing, certainly not that his left hand was burning circles of heat on her leg. Feeling a bit stung, Hermione, crossing her legs to make sure he didn't try to anything in this class and dislodged his hand in the process. She cast her eyes firmly on Prof Snape's notes on the board and decided to ignore Draco for the rest of the class period, but of course, Draco wasn't going to be having any of that.  
  
Pulling her chair from underneath, he didn't allow an inch of room between them and his hand moved back under her skirt, tracing the seam between her firmly locked legs. "Open them," he demanded in a quiet whisper. She looked at him in shock, for a moment, before violently shaking her head in response, after all, who the hell did he think he was?  
  
"When I tell you to do something, you had better damn well do it," he whispered back. That was her only warning, when after a brief pause of silence, his fingers suddenly dug deeply into the soft flesh in her inner thigh, his manicured nails cutting their marks. Hermione gasped sharply as her entire body tensed for a long moment until his fingers released their painful grip, now gently caressing the very flesh they had just bruised, and she heard his voice again whispering, "Open them." Shaken, she complied and was rewarded with the now familiar pleasure/pain that Draco so seemed to dole out to her in measured amounts.  
  
Double potions class seemed unending for Hermione as Draco's fingers never seemed to tire. She had given up trying to take her notes and even ceased to be amazed as Draco continued to accurately take his. She could feel Harry's eyes and occasionally Ron's constantly searching her out, but Draco's larger body effectively hid her from their sight, for which she was thankful, it was taking all of her energy merely to keep upright in her chair. Draco seemed to have this uncanny sense for knowing just when she was on the brink, before pulling back to lightly soothe the half moon rises she could feel embedded in her thigh, before drifting higher to her soaked underwear to begin the torment again. Time no longer mattered, just the hunger within her and the constant rise and fall that was never really satisfied.  
  
Draco looked over at her and bit down hard on his lower lip, reopening the cut that Hermione had made earlier that morning. Thank Merlin this class was almost over, because he was ready to explode and Hermione was already so far gone, he doubted if her legs even had the strength to hold her. Finally, Snape was finished Draco grabbed his and Hermione's books and papers and began stuffing in them in his bag, while she just stared at him, with the expression that made his blood begin to boil. She was so ready for him; he couldn't believe how sensitive she must be. He slung both their bags onto his shoulder as he bent down to help her to her feet and to support her weight. Smiling at her, she wrapped one of her arms around his neck, as he held her firmly in his grasp. Standing up, he turned to leave only to face Potter and the Weasel.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing Malfoy?" Harry demanded, his wand out, something was obviously wrong with Hermione and he knew Draco was responsible.  
  
"What does it look like, I'm taking Granger to Madame Pomfrey. She must be sick or something." Draco answered back just as forcefully. What the hell did Potter think he was going to do? Take her back to his room and have his evil way with her? Draco smirked, because that was exactly what he had on his mind, but Potter didn't know that.  
  
Ron stepped in, "If she is sick, Malfoy, we'll take care of her."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes and was about to respond when Snape stepped in, "Let Mr Malfoy take Miss Granger to Madame Pomfrey, you two come with me, we should have a discussion regarding your project."  
  
They began loudly objecting as Draco half-walked, half-carried Hermione away, everything from "she needs us, "to, "We'll be late for DADA," but Snape, as always, had a response for everything as he firmly closed the door behind them.  
  
~  
  
Once outside of Potter and the Weasel's sight, Draco gave up all pretensions and simply picked Hermione up in his arms, as he walked to his the Slytheryn rooms, which conveniently, were very close. Walking in, he laid Hermione gently down on his bed, as he looked down at her. Somewhere between the potions room and his dorm room, and probably before the little argument with Potter and the Weasel, she really had fainted. Shaking his head, he moved to a nearby chair and light up a cigarette, because he knew that this was really his fault. He had let himself get too excited and pushed her too far, too fast, especially considering that she hasn't had the easiest time of it lately with not getting enough sleep or food. Reminding him of the raspberry croissants still in his bag that he had stashed away for her, which mean she hasn't even eaten today and he quietly cursed himself.  
  
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	20. He Left A Note?

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. I know I've been a terrible fanfic writer & have left this story hanging for far too long, well my life get very complicated & difficult for awhile - things aren't particularly better now, but inspiration, at least has returned. I have no intention of abandoning this story & have even begun writing the next chapter. Anyway, let's skip the AN & get back into the story . . .  
  
Hermione,  
  
The music was set to go off to give you enough time to get to Arithmancy, which starts in 20 minutes, your books are on the table along with your homework and don't ask how I got them, because you probably won't approve. If I had my way, you'd still be sleeping, but I figured if I allowed you to miss class, you might try to hex me into the next century.  
  
By now, you're probably thinking that I'm a bastard, a belief that under the circumstances I won't try to argue. Sitting here and watching you sleep, I realize that I may have been a bit out of line, but relationships aren't my strongest point, so I hope you can forgive me. I'm not particularly good at explanations and even worse at apologies, having made very few in my life. I won't lie, I knew what I was doing when I did it, but I hadn't intended things to go as far as they did.  
  
I fucked up, but hopefully not beyond complete redemption, which brings to why I'm not here right now. I lost control, something that rarely happens to me and I need to figure that out, at the same time, I realize that I've been less than fair to you, so I'm trying to give you some space.  
  
What happens now is up to you. If it means anything I am sorry.  
  
Draco  
  
Rereading the letter one last time, Draco finally decided that it held enough resemblance to his emotions to ring true. Propping the letter up where he was sure that she would see it, he then walked over to his stereo and adjusted the settings, before making his way back across the room. Sitting next to her still figure, he was unaware of the bittersweet smile that briefly twisted his lips, while his hand lifted, almost of its own accord to brush a tendril of hair off her face. Draco abruptly jerked his arm back, as he clenched his jaw and his face hardened, taking on an almost cruel cast.  
  
Running his hand restlessly through his hair, he stood up and began erratically pacing around his room. Snagging a pack of cigarettes off his dresser, he lit one up as he continued pacing like a caged animal, trying to rein himself in and bitterly smirking. With everything going on, this was the worse possible time for him to begin to lose it - he was being too impatient, too impulsive and too damn reckless - making mistakes he knew he couldn't afford.  
  
It had been too long since he had last heard from his father or any of the other deatheaters and that was never a good sign. Something was definitely going on, but figuring out exactly what *it* was, well that was going to be a little more difficult. Sucking the harsh smoke deeply into his lungs, he glanced over to Hermione, innocently sleeping on his bed. Up until this point, he still believed that while he was playing to win, he was just playing a game; losing wasn't part of the plan. She was supposed to make up for everything else fucked in his life and he had no intention of losing her, but if he couldn't control himself, he knew he wouldn't be able to control anything else and that could be disastrous.  
  
Leaning over her, he whispered the incantation that would begin to bring her out the spell induced restorative sleep he had sent her into, quickly moving away from her, with a long pensive stare. Abruptly putting out his cigarette, he forced himself to walk out of the room without a backward glance, as much as he wanted to stay, he knew he had to go somewhere and think, anything would be too much of a temptation. Hermione's eyes slowly drifted open, realizing once again that she was in Draco's room. Draco was standing a few feet away from her, smoking yet another cigarette, seemingly lost in his own world. She opened her mouth to ask him what was going on, before some instinct cautioned her not to.  
  
Instead she remained very still, feigning sleep, as he stalked out of the room and took a deep breath and she began remembering the earlier events of the day. Carefully, lifting her robes she saw the bruises he had left on her legs and as if in confirmation, she became aware the slight soreness between her thighs and the renewed sense of frustration and she shook her head, trying to sort out her feelings. She sighed, listening to the music that softly played in the background and inhaling the still faint taint of smoke in the air as she tried to figure out the precise point where her life began to devolve into a fucked up after-school special.  
  
She wasn't mad at Draco *exactly* which she knew was probably wrong on her part, to be honest, in a sort of perverse way, she was actually enjoying his proprietary behavior. This was all just very confusing and very sudden, but she didn't know what to do about it all. She had the distinct impression that if she suddenly cut Draco out of her life that things would take a turn for the worse - not only could he make things very difficult, but she had to admit that despite everything, she was for the most part enjoying, if not encouraging, all of it.  
  
Whatever was going on between her and Draco, she decided it was time for a serious discussion, because while she was enjoying most everything, she was no doormat, nor would she allow herself to be cast in that role. Having made her decision, she figured there was no time like the present and besides, considering that they were missing DADA, the quicker this was sorted out, the sooner would things be back to whatever qualified for normal around here. Turning her head, she saw the folded paper with her name written in bold ink and rolled her eyes, slightly laughing - he wrote her a note?!?  
  
"Infinity Owens, I've gotta say that you are the last person, I ever expected to see teaching at Hogwarts and teaching Arithmancy, of all things. Especially, when as I recall this was always your worst class. And to suddenly reappear without even owling your old friends . . . " rebuked a low and masculine voice. Sitting on top of her desk, with one leg swinging in the air, amid papers scattered haphazardly around her, Infinity smirked without even glancing towards the figure leaning into her empty classroom.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah - it's good to see you too, Remus," Infinity said with a smile, hopping off her desk.  
  
Walking fully into the room, he swept her up into a bear hug and held her suspended in air for a full second or two, savoring the moment, before releasing her back onto her feet. "Damn, Infinity, it has been far too long since I've seen you. Where the hell have you been, hmmm?"  
  
Unable to resist laughing at him, Infinity responded, "Yeah, Remus, I missed you too." Lupin rolled his eyes, as she tugged at his arm, pulling him towards the front of the room. "Come on, come on," she coaxed him, "I've got a bit of time, before my first class starts and you can distract me until then, ok?" Sitting down on one of the tables, she turned to him, "so give me the 'low down' on my students."  
  
"Ha, only after you explain what you're doing here," Remus retorted.  
  
Rolling her eyes for a moment, she sighed, "you really are such a brat, you know that, right?"  
  
"But you love me for it," was his quick reply.  
  
She smirked at him for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders as her mood visibly darkened, "What do you want to tell you? I mean you know what really happened to Vector, right?" At his nod of agreement, she continued, "Well, with You-Know-Who having the audacity to attack a Hogwarts professor, someone high up, Fudge I'm guessing, wanted to bring the Dementors back, but Dumbledore refused outright. Apparently, they negotiated and finally agreed to not bring the Dementors back on the condition that an Auger be brought in to replace Vector. I had just finished a major assignment and was about to go on sabbatical, but then Dumbledore called, asking me personally to take the position. What could I do, old habits die hard, I guess. So, of course, I agreed to come, before I realized that I'd be expected to teach Arithmancy . . . " She shook her head, "Not Transfiguration, Charms, DADA or even Muggle Studies, but bloody Arithmacy, it figures."  
  
"Aww, come on Infinity, how bad could it really be?" Lupin asked.  
  
"Ha, you say that because you only took it one year, besides between Lilly helping James and James letting you cheat off him, it's not like you actually had to work to pass that damn class." Infinity got up and began pacing, "I don't even know where to begin teaching it - I think I effectively blocked anything I ever learned in this class. Sure you don't want to trade it for DADA?" She looked up at him, with a half serious smile.  
  
"Right . . . " Remus drawled, "because that is really going to happen."  
  
Infinity glared at him for a moment, before breaking into a rueful smile, "yeah, I figured as much." Sitting back down, she began swinging her legs impatiently again. "Well, since you're unwilling to bail me out, you could, at the very least, give me some info on my new students."  
  
"Info? Like what?"  
  
"Oh, come on Remus, you know what I mean. It's not like these are just your average students, or normal times. If I going to be in the position of protecting them, as well as actually teaching them, I need to know who I should be paying particular attention to. Besides, you've taught these kids before, you should be able to give me some dirt."  
  
"Dirt? Infinity, I don't think this is really my place - " he began, only to be suddenly cut off.  
  
"I don't believe this. Remus Lupin, is being cautious, since when?" Her expression bordered on incredulous, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're playing coy."  
  
Holding up his hands in mock defense, "Coy? Me?" He laughed, "When have you ever known me to be coy? I'm usually noted for being quite blunt when I want something."  
  
"So spill the info then . . ."  
  
Remus laughed for a moment at her overly exaggerated pout. "I'll 'spill the info' when you tell me what you're really up to, Infinity. Somehow I doubt they sent you completely unprepared and your insistence on playing the part makes me a bit suspicious, besides as I recall gathering info in the most unlikely of places was always your specialty."  
  
Smirking, she said in a wry tone, "well, I figured you'd see through me, but thought it was worth it a shot anyway. I'm responsible for more than just teaching Arithmancy," rolling her eyes, "or even for acting as an Augor, but Dumbledore wants to keep it very quiet. Trust me, you really don't want to know, assuming I can pull it off, enough heads are going to roll, if I can't and more people than necessary know about it, well, that will just make matters even worse."  
  
He heavily sighed, before looking up at her, serious for the first time. "If you can't talk about it I understand and won't press you, but don't forget, Infinity, if you need my help, I'm always here for you, ok?"  
  
Nodded her head, with a slight smile, she quietly replied, "hopefully it won't come to that, but thanks for the offer, Remus, it's good to know that I can count on my old friends."  
  
The slightly awkward silence between them was suddenly broken by students entering the room, Infinity quickly hopped off her desk, blushing slightly, as she began to reorganize her materials. "Looks like we'll have to pick this up later, ok?"  
  
"Well, at least we'll have to catch up on old times, so I'll see you later in the Great Hall." He raised his hand in a quick wave on his way out of the room.  
  
Turning back to the face the now nearly full room, Infinity slightly leaned back against her desk, smiling when one of the students she was most interested in meeting finally arrived. Hermione quickly found a seat in the second row, thankful she was able to get to class on time, just in time to look at her new teacher.  
  
TBC  
  
Ok . . . if you've left me your email, I added you to my brand new mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if I didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can off your profile, I will gladly add you. For expecting smut in this chapter, sorry I had to get back to the plot, but never fear, for the lemony chapters will soon arrive. Once again, I'm really sorry about the delay, like Draco, things got out of my control. I promise if you continue to review & show interest in this story, I will definitely continue to write it. So please, read, enjoy & review ;) 


	21. Believe None Of It

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me.  I have no intention of abandoning this story and the next chapter is nearly ready to be beta-ed so that should be posted in about a week.  And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry.  Anyway, let's skip the AN & get back into the story . . .

Chapter 21 – Believe None Of It

Hermione slipped into her seat with a guilty expression on her face, staunchly ignoring the whispers and looks of her classmates, instead choosing to focus her attention on the animated woman standing at the front of the classroom.  Infinity graced her with a curious smile, before introducing herself and explaining that she was their new Arthimancy teacher for the year, due to Professor Vector's abrupt "leave of absence."  Hmmmm, so that's what they're calling it now, Hermione mused to herself.  More observant that the average Hogwarts student, she knew there was a little more involved than the professors were telling them.  From what little she discovered, she suspected that he had been involved in that Deatheater attack at Hogsmead over the weekend, but everyone, even Hagrid, was tightlipped about the details.  

What she couldn't figure out was why Dumbledore was keeping the information a secret from the students and out of the press.  Maybe Draco knew more.  She could always ask him later, during detention, but that thought opened up an entirely new set of problems for her to contemplate.  She sighed, wondering not for the first time exactly where she went wrong in her life that everything was so complicated.  Shaking her head, she realized that the new professor was still talking, so she decided to ignore the Draco situation and to tune back into reality.  

"As I was saying, it's been a while since I took this class, because it's not exactly a skill that you use on a regular basis as an Auror.  To make matters even more interesting, Professor Vector wasn't able to tell me exactly how far you've gotten along this semester.  So you'll have to be a bit patient with me.  Which brings me to my next question: who wants to tell me what you were working on last?"  Infinity hopped onto the nearest desk, looking at her new class expectantly.

The classroom fell silent as the students looked at each other, no one wanting to be the first to speak up.  Sighing, Hermione waited a moment before finally raising her hand to answer.  Professor Owens, or Infinity as she preferred to be called, ran her class differently than Professor Vector, Hermione noted.  Despite her earlier misgivings, she realized that she was enjoying the more free wheeling discussion based atmosphere and was surprised to see the time had passed so quickly.  Gathering up her things, she began filing out of the room with the rest of her classmates.

"Miss Granger, if you could just wait for a moment."  Hermione turned around to see Infinity walking towards her.  "As you know, my appointment was a bit of a last minute affair, and to be honest, one I wasn't sure I was actually qualified to accept, but there was no one else available.  Headmaster Dumbledore suggested that I look into getting an assistant to help ease me into the position and he specifically recommended you."  Seeing the hesitant look on Hermione's face, she quickly added, "I'm sure you're very busy studying for the NEWT's, your prefect duties and your normal course load, so whatever time you could spare would be more than appreciated.  Naturally, I'd be giving you extra credit and house points for your assistance . . ." Infinity's voice trailed off as she held her breath, hoping the younger woman would accept the carrot she was holding out.

Hermione swung her bag onto her shoulders, her expression thoughtful as she mulled over the pros and cons of accepting Infinity's offer.  It would probably take up a sizable chunk of her already rare spare time, but on the other hand, considering the current chaos that was her personal life that might not be a necessarily bad idea . . . 'sorry, Harry, no time to talk, I've got to and work with Professor Owens now,' and she gave a slight smirk at that thought.  This might give her a chance to satisfy her curiosity about what really happened to Professor Vector and why Dumbledore elected to replace him with an Auror, and that convinced her to accept.  Besides helping out would certainly guarantee her with an A for the term, not that she was worried and extra house points were always a nice bonus.   "Well, I am very busy, but I think I could spare some free time . . ." 

"OK," Infinity quickly agreed, "I know you have to get to your next class, so I'll let you go and we can discuss scheduling times later . . . maybe after dinner or after the next class?"

"Sure, that'll be fine." Hermione smiled as she hurried out of the room on her way for Hagrid's class.  In her rush, she never saw the triumphant smile cross Infinity's face.

The class was gathered in a loose circle around Hagrid and the newest creature they were studying, a fire crab.  Hermione was all too aware of the looks being cast her way, from nearly every direction – Draco standing directly across from her, Pavarti was somewhere where roughly between them on her left with Lavender and Ron in tow, while Harry was on her right, inching ever closer past the other students.  Hagrid was enthusiastically praising the fire crab and it's ability to shoot fire when provoked, but no one seemed to be paying much attention, to the lecture at least.  Hermione sighed; if there was ever a day to take Fred and George's "get out of class" candy, then today was certainly it.

"Hermione . . . Hermione . . ." Harry urgently whispered in her ear, leaning in closer to her unresponsive figure.  She resisted the impulse to roll her eyes.

"What do you want, Harry?"  

Draco's eyes narrowed as he intently watched Potter try to talk to Hermione, silently cursing the fact that he was too far away to hear what they were saying.  Pavarti was practically growling in her frustration.  Harry had successfully managed to evade her all morning and now he was cozying up to Hermione?  In front of her?  She could feel her blood boiling, especially when she heard Lavender giggling to Ron somewhere behind her.  Hagrid faltered for a moment as he cast a confused glance around him, sensing a strange undercurrent of tension among the class, but just shrugged his shoulders and launched back into his discussion on the dietary habits of the fire crab.

"Hermione, are you still mad at me about this morning? I already explained that and I thought we were cool again."

"No, Harry, I'm mad at you for several things, this morning didn't even make the top five.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to actually pay attention, a novel concept for you, I'm sure."  Hermione bit back in a saccharine sweet tone, moving a few feet away.

"Come on, Hermione, give me a break, will you?"  He continued as he followed her, "You know I hate it when we fight."

"Well, you should have thought of that earlier.  You betrayed me, Harry.  Me, the one person who has always been on your side and for what?"  She hissed angrily back at him, giving him a long, hard stare.  "You really fucked up this time."  She shook her head in frustration for a moment, before she carefully made her way around the circle to stand next to Draco.  

"Everything ok?"  His quiet voice soothed her frayed nerves, calming her down enough to take a deep breath as she nodded in response.

"Yeah, Harry was just bothering me for the second time today."

"The second time?"

"Oh, right, I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier," Hermione sighed.  "This morning when I got back to me room, I found him asleep in _my _bed."

Draco tilted his head towards her, arching an eyebrow.  "Your bed?"  His voice dropped even lower in an implicit demand for details.  Seeing his eyes darken into a stormy gray, Hermione stepped even closer to him, slipping her hand covertly into his, instinctively seeking to reassure him.

"Nothing happened, of course.  He wanted to talk to me last night and snuck into my room.  I think he just fell asleep waiting for me."  She held her breath for an uncertain moment until he gently squeezed her hand in response.  A smile unconsciously graced her lips as she could feel his body begin to relax from that rigid state of tension that had gripped his body from before she had even walked over to him.

"Well, we'll discuss that unfortunate business later . . . " Hermione gave him a sidelong glance, smirking, before turning her attention back to Hagrid and his lecture.  Draco smiled to himself in amusement, as he held Hermione's smaller hand in his own.  Apparently his note had been more effective than he had anticipated or Potter was just driving her insane.  Whatever the cause, he was more than pleased by the end result, Hermione was beginning to depend on him, to look to him for, if not protection, than at least as an alternative to Potter and the Weasel.  His smile broadened as he watched Pavarti stalking towards Potter furiously.  The look on his face was priceless as she grabbed his arm and began dragging him off to the back outer edge of students.  

As the class drew to a close, Hermione and Draco lagged behind, taking their time as they approached the gated opening of the enclosed ring.  Off in the distance they could hear Pavarti loudly berating Harry.  "Damn that girl is a horror.  I almost feel sorry for him," laughed Draco.

"Don't feel too badly for him, as far as I'm concerned he deserves all that and more."  Despite her attempts to stifle it, Draco detected a distinct note of glee in her voice.  For a moment, his lips curled into a fond smile, before dropping back into his usual smirk.  "So . . . " he drew the word out into three syllables, "you were going to tell me something about finding Potter in your bed this morning?"  Draco arched his eyebrow, waiting expectantly.  She looked at him, as if hesitant to speak.  "Oh come on, Hermione, if you can't tell me, who can you tell?"  He kept his tone light, teasing but also cajoling.

Looking up at him, Hermione debating whether or not she wanted to get into this discussion or the other, wincing at the thought of bringing _that _up.  Carefully reading the expression on her face, Draco could almost see the wheels turning in her head and decided to take the initiative and slant the conversation his way.  Opening up his eyes very wide, he leaned against the fence, propping his chin on his fist, "Now, you know you want to tell me."

Hermione arched her eyebrow at this overly innocent expression, before laughing despite herself.  She knew exactly what he was attempting, of course, but decided to go with it and let the other discussion drop for now.  Giving the argument between Harry and Pavarti that was growing increasingly louder a quick glance, she grabbed Draco's hand again to lead him off back toward the school.  "Well, there really isn't too much to tell.  I got back to my room and found him sleeping in my bed, apparently he wanted to talk again last night and fell asleep, waiting for me to return.  I'm pretty sure he must have been dreaming, because he was acting very bizarre, when he woke up and had the audacity to demand where _I_ had been.  I just told him that I had been studying in the library, then I reminded him that Pavarti was due back any moment and he ran out."

"Well, in that case, you'd be smart to have the house elves change your bedding instead of just making your bed.  Merlin only knows what Potter might have caught from every bloke's favorite Gryffindor, Pavarti."

"Draco . . . ewwwwww," Hermione grimaced at the very thought.

"What?"  He raised his hands innocently.  "Do you even know how many people that she's slept with?  I'm talking about more than two thirds of the male population at Hogwarts, not just our class, but all grades combined."

"Ok, Draco, stop right there . . . there are certain things that I _never_ want to think about and that is one of them.  You have now _officially_ squeaked me."  He just laughed at the expression on her face, as they continued walking towards Hogwarts.  

Meanwhile poor Harry was trying to tune out the rantings of Pavarti as he watched Hermione walk farther away with _him_.  What the hell had happened while he'd been away with Ron that had Hermione being so friendly with Draco _fucking_ Malfoy and how was he supposed to figure it out, when she so adamantly refused to speak with him.  Didn't she realize that she was "_his"  _friend?  Despite what she might think, he wasn't stupid – he damn well saw her walk away him and over to that smug bastard.  She even held his bloody hand!  What the fuck was she thinking?

The more Harry thought about the two of them together, the angrier he got.  He knew it was irrational, but he couldn't help it.  Hermione just didn't belong with him, with Malfoy!  It was just wrong.  So why can't she see that, she has to know that she belonged with me - . . .  His mouth fell open at the thought and his eyes dropped to the snow-dusted ground below his feet as the realization suddenly struck him.  Remembering his dream from the night before seemed to only drive the point further home and confused him further.  Oh my god, was he actually in love with Hermione?

"Dammit Harry, remember me, your girlfriend?  You can at least pretend to pay attention when I'm talking to you!"  Pavarti's petulant demand finally penetrated through his rambling internal monologue and Harry stared at her in complete bewilderment for a moment, then looked past her to see Hermione laughing with Malfoy, nearly inside Hogwarts.  As he continued to watch, once again oblivious to Pavarti's ever growing sense of indignation, he couldn't help the sudden spike of rage that flowed through him, when he saw Malfoy all but mauling her  . . . IN PUBLIC, no less!!!  If he had the gall to act like this with her where anyone could see, then **what the fuck** was he doing to her when there was no one else around?  

And GODDAMMIT why the hell wasn't she fighting him?  Ok, so he _was_ bigger than she was, but she could pull out her wand, scream or at least kick him where it'd hurt – she didn't even look like she was trying to get away from him and his grubby hands.  He must have her under some sort of spell, maybe one of those love potions or the Imperious Curse or _something._  God only knew how far she'd allow this to continue, if he didn't do something fast.

"**HARRY POTTER!!!" ** Pavarti all but screeched at him.  "Fuck, can't you listen to me for five minutes, without being obsessed by your 'precious Hermione.'  You have serious psychological problems, are you aware of this?"

"Sorry Pavarti, but I just don't have time for this at the moment, I'll talk to you later on, ok?"  He spoke quickly, his words tripping over each other as he ran off, without even waiting for her response.

"Hey, get back here . . . we need to talk about this weekend at Hogsmead," her voice trailed off, "not to mention your growing number of issues.  Why is he always chasing after that dammed bitch?"  Pavarti pouted for a moment, well, if he thinks that he is getting any tonight, then he is sorely mistaken.  But something has to be done about their beloved Gryffindor prefect, Pavarti had always disliked her for a variety of reasons, but now that she had finally captured "The Boy Who Lived," there was no way that she was going to loose him now and certainly not to her, of all people.

Hermione had fallen silent, before demanding in deceptively light voice, "hey, wait a minute Draco . . . you did say 'every bloke's favorite Gryffindor,' right?  Is there something you want to tell me?"  She turned to look at him, quirking an eyebrow up high.

Draco stumbled for a moment, before looking down at her, disbelief obvious on his face.  "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!  I've never been desperate enough to touch trash like that.  Besides, you damn well know that you've always been my favorite Gryffindor."  He saw out of the corner of his smile the brief smile at his words, before she quickly caught herself, and smirked at her show of jealously.  They had reached the outer wall entrance to the castle, when he leaned in close, placing his palms flat against the wall, his arms on either side of her, effectively imprisoning her between his body and the wall behind her, under the overhanging walkway.  Draco knew that few people would be outside at this hour, but quickly took a brief surveying glance around just to make sure they had a modicum of privacy, before deciding it was safe enough for a moment or two.  "Would you like me to prove that fact to you yet again?"  Hermione let her head fall to rest on his shoulder at sudden press of his body against hers that was an all too vivid remembrance of last night and earlier this morning.

She knew exactly what he was trying to do, but she refused to allow herself to become distracted by him yet again, trying to ignore the physical sensation of being so close to him after her brief moment of weakness.  Instead she took a deep breath, only to realize that only made her control that much more precarious as she inhaled the light scent of him.  She gasped for a moment, closing her eyes as her head tilted back, exposing her vulnerable throat.  Smirking, he stepped forward, insinuating one of his legs between her own and leaning in that much further until he could feel her begin to arch against him, right there.  Taking advantage of her unconscious invitation, Draco lowered his lips to her throat, finding that sensitive point right where her neck met her shoulder that he had already marked, as his hips began to gyrate slowly against hers, setting a slow rhythm until she began to move against him. 

He let one of his hands slip between the wall and her back, sliding down to cup her ass, drawing her further into him, while his other fell to tease her breast.  Draco knew he couldn't go as far as he'd like, hell he was pushing all boundaries as it was, already, considering how out in the open they were, but he couldn't resist the chance to make her loose a little bit of that control she fought him so hard to keep.  It was a high like nothing else he'd ever felt.  Besides he had plans for later tonight and keeping her in such a state of readiness would only be to his greater benefit in the long run.  Nibbling on that bruised tendon, he couldn't help but smile as she began squirming and she let out a soft moan.  Hermione felt herself melting inside as she felt her teeth sink into her bottom lip, her hands which had been resting on his shoulders, slid down to his chest in a weak attempt to push him away, only to falter as she felt his fingers sharply twist her nipple and her hands involuntary clench his robes as she felt her knees begin to give way.

Draco held her on her feet, as his hold around her gentled, until he was only hugging her against his body.  "Shhhh, it's ok, babe.  I've got you and I'm not letting go, anytime soon."  He whispered against her throat, his breath calming against her aroused flesh.

Hermione laughed faintly, "ok?  Ha!  You know very well that I'm only in this state because of you.  Damn, Draco, I never knew you were such a tease."

"So sorry, my dear, it's just something you bring out in me," he smirked, watching the light flush slowly fade off her cheeks, as he gently rubbed his thumb along her defined jaw line.

"Yeah, right.  Blame it all on me, why don't you?"  She asked sarcastically, but her smile took the sting out of her words.

"All right, if you insist," biting back his laughter, as she rolled her eyes at him.

Draco took the opportunity to look to his left and resisted groaning as he saw Potter frantically running after them, and made the decision to spare Hermione the rapidly approaching confrontation.  "So what do you have next?"

"Ummm, Transfiguration.  Why?"

"Well, it is a bit late, right?  Maybe you should hurry?"  Draco made sure to add that extra note of concern in his voice.

"Is it really?" Hermione made an instinctive gesture to look at her wrist for her watch that naturally wasn't to be found, before shaking her head.  "Bloody hell, I've got to run then."  Draco leaned down to quickly brush lips lightly over hers.  "See you later at detention."  She smiled at him before running off.

"Count on it, Hermione."   He was quiet as he leaned against the stone wall, half blocking the entrance, as he watched her slight figure rush across the courtyard.  His stance was deceptively causal and the smile on his face belied the hard glint of his eyes.  Behind him he could hear Potter panting as he arrived.  Just as he was about to walk past him, Draco's arm suddenly barred his path.  "Don't you think that you should be off fucking your girlfriend or something, rather than bothering Hermione for the umpteenth time today, Potter?  Because I'm pretty sure that she wants nothing to do with you and this display of desperation is really beginning to become quite nauseating."

"Get out of my way, you bastard," Harry snarled as Hermione grew further out of his sight, his hand sliding down to securely grab his wand.

Sighing dramatically, Draco turned around to face him, wand already out in his hand.  "Now what makes you think that I would ever follow an order _you_ gave?" He answered in a voice laden with contempt that he didn't even bother to try to hide.  He smirked, "Let go of your wand Harry, I could curse you long before you could ever pull it out, so don't tempt me," barely holding back his laughter at the expression of sheer frustration on Potter's face.  Ahh . . . he treasured moments like this; the only question left was how far could he push him. "You know if you insist on this continued harassment of Miss Granger, then as a prefect I will have no choice but to start deducing house points.  As the person involved with her, it will be my pleasure to take a more personal interest in this matter, like kicking your ass."

" 'Person involved with her,' are you insane?  Person trying to fuck her over, more likely," Harry scoffed in disbelief.  "You know that she is going to see through you, sooner or later, and when she does, you'll be left behind like the trash that you are."

Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously, "You mean like she did with you?  Get this straight, Potter, I'm not you.  I take care of what belongs to me, instead of carelessly throwing it away."

"You son of a bitch!  She doesn't belong to you, Malfoy.  She's not something you can own."  Harry snarled back, his fingers once again reaching towards his wand.

"You really do want me to hurt you, don't you?"  Draco asked rhetorically, twirling his wand lightly.  "Besides, as I recall, I owe you one after that little stunt you pulled in the Potions room."

"Go ahead, it'll only prove my point that you're messing with Hermione's head to get to me.  She will see the truth sooner or later."

Draco laughed, "you're so fucking dense, you wouldn't know the truth even if I told you and by the time you figure out what is really going on here, it will be far too late for you to do anything about it.  You seriously need to learn to leave her alone, Potter."

Harry glared at him, hating that smug tone in his voice, "Fuck off Malfoy, you think I didn't see you with your fucking filthy hands all over her?  You're the one who needs to learn to leave her alone.  She deserves someone better.   Keep pushing me and I'll be the one to show it to you." he ground out.

Draco forced himself to restrain the feral rage that welled up inside him.  He clenched his wand so tightly he was surprised that it hadn't snapped yet at that implicit threat.  "You mean someone like you, you self righteous bastard?  Trust me, I will _never_ allow that to happen.  Before I'm through with you, Hermione will see you for the weak leach that you are, without her you never would have lasted as long as you have and you damn well know that.  You've used her for the last time Potter.  You've already lost this war, so have the decency to fuck off."

Harry opened his mouth to retaliate, but fell silent as he caught a glimpse of an eavesdropper with a distinct tint of green glinting off her hair.  Damn, it was that new Arthimancy professor . . .  

"Is there a problem here?"  Infinity cautiously asked, casting a hard glance between the two.  She was uncomfortably aware of the nearly visible arc of tension running between them and all too wary of Draco's raised wand and Harry's twitching hand.

Breaking the moment of silence, Harry shook his head in a resounding negative, before biting out, "I was just on my way to class," and abruptly pushed past Draco, whose eyes narrowed angrily, but made no comment.

"Well, ok then," she began, but by then he already stalked off.  Turning to face Draco in the sudden vacuum of space, she continued in a more relaxed tone, "Draco Malfoy, I don't believe we've met in person.  I'm Infinity Owens, the new Transfiguration professor.  I've heard quite a bit about you from both Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore."

Startled, he looked at her for a moment until her words registered, his attention still securely focused on that damned Potter.  Shaking off his now violently inclined mood, he quirked up an eyebrow.  "Snape _and_ Dumbledore, hmmm?  Well, that must have been a mixed bag of information at the very least, I'm sure.  Believe none of it."

Infinity smirked, "don't worry, they told me nothing but good things."

"Really?"  Draco seemed honestly taken aback by that bit of news, "now, I'm wondering if perhaps you're the one who can't be trusted," and instantly wanted to smack himself.  Bloody hell, he let Potter get to him, even more than he had originally thought only to be surprised yet again when she broke out into a ringing laughter.

"Yep, definitely a Slytherin.  And as to my trustworthiness you can ask any number of people – Professors Snape or Lupin, Headmaster Dumbledore, of course, and even the Gryffindor prefect."

"Hermione?"  Draco's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he took a slight step back to take a more measured look at this new Professor.  There was a strange emphasis, an air of deliberate casualness, on her last few words that tripped a certain sense of awareness in him.  She was making a point of mentioning that connection to Hermione to him, but why?

"Oh yes, that's her name.  She's going to be an assistant of sorts for me."  Infinity repressed the instinct to smile, mentioning Hermione to him had certainly set off something in him.  She only wished had she could have over heard a little more of that argument between him and Harry Potter.  She did know that it involved Miss Granger, but only because that same look had lit up in Draco's eyes again.

"I don't mean to intrude, but I couldn't help but notice the argument you were having with Mr. Potter.  I just wanted to let you know that if there was anything I could do for you – "

But Draco quickly cut her off.  "I appreciate your concern, but that is a long standing personal matter.  There is no need for anyone else to get involved."  He hoped his words sounded as neutral as he was aiming for, the absolute last thing he needed was this woman getting involved in his ever complicating relationship with Hermione, especially when he already had now Potter gunning for his head. 

"Hmmm, ok, if you're sure," her voice was tentative.  Infinity mused, an independent one, I see.  Well, that's a Slytherin for you, bloody difficult bunch to get to open up at all.  "Well, if you decide to change your mind, I'm always available to talk and might know more about your situation then you might think.  Anyway it's time for me to get going, but I'm sure I'll see you around later."  She don't expect him to take her up on it at first, but the way things are likely to play out, he's going to need all the friends he can find.  And at the very least, she thought to herself, she had hopefully given him one or two things to think about.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied dryly, refusing to make a commitment one way or the other.

Right . . . I'm sure you will, Infinity thought to herself as she started back to the school.  Hmmm, perhaps she should go find Severus and to see what he thought of all this.

Draco was left standing at the castle wall, wondering, not for the first time, when everything began spiraling out of his control.  Running a distracted hand through his already tousled hair, he began walking back towards the dungeons.  He needed some uninterrupted time to figure out how to cut Potter off at the pass.  Of all the times in the world for him to start to wise up, it had to be now . . . typical.  Sighing, resisted the urge to punch into the nearest wall as he headed down the staircase.  There was no way he could deny that look in Potter's eyes, he was finally beginning to realize what Draco had figured out months ago that he was in love with Hermione.  Now it was only a matter of time before Potter dumped that stupid bint he was with to make a play for her and that was simply unacceptable.  He had no choice now but to speed things up a bit, before all hell broke loose.   

Ok . . . once again, if you've left me your email, I added you to my brand new mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if I didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. Once again, I'm really sorry about the delay, like Draco, things got out of my control. I promise if you continue to review & show interest in this story, I will definitely continue to write it.  Don't forget reviews are like candy & I'm nothing if not a sugar addict. So please, read, enjoy & review ;)


	22. Cinnamon Rain

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Normally, I'm one to skip the AN, but one or two concerns were raised about this story that I feel the need to discuss (although, please feel free to skip, if you'd like, lol).

And honestly, I was a bit confused, I thought Draco had been behaving himself for the last chapter or two, but apparently some of you disagreed.  This story is rated R for a reason, if there are things in this story that you feel you can't handle, I am sorry, but they are plenty of other stories out there for you to read if you'd prefer.  Yes, they are BDSM elements in this story - they've been there since the very beginning & were always intended to be included.  Come on this is AU, people, most if not everything in this fic would never happen in the cannon, although I do believe the main characters are acting fairly in character (you may well disagree - if you really want to debate it, feel free to email or im on it).  On the other hand Hermione & Draco are my among my favorite characters, so the last thing I'm planning on doing is destroying them.  So have a little bit of faith, ok? Because if you can't trust your author, who can you, lol . . . Anway - back to the story   

Chapter 22 - Cinnamon Rain

At this point, Hermione was beyond frustrated . . .  Where the _hell_ was he?  This was getting ridiculous, she'd been waiting for nearly twenty minutes and he knew they were working with a time constraint.  If he thought she was going to do all the work by herself, then he was out of his mind.  Sighing heavily, she began shifting through the thick books she had scattered across the desk, before selecting one and flipping through the pages to find the specific spell she needed to look at.  Ten more minutes, she decided.  She'd give him just ten more minutes, before she took off, because if she was forced to do this by herself, she could at least make sure she was working somewhere comfortable, like the library.

Quietly standing in the doorway, Draco watched her for a moment.  A soft smile gracing his lips, before he confidently strode into the room, letting the door slam behind him.  "So how is our project coming along?"  He asked in a teasing tone, as he walked up behind her and began playing with her hair, winding and unwinding the silken strands around his finger.  He grinned at the stunned expression on her face as she turned to stare at him in disbelief, completely at a loss for words.

Hermione couldn't believe his arrogance, smacking away his hand; she stood up explosively and began gathering her books.  "You got us into this bloody disaster, then you can't even be bothered to show up?!?"  She put up one hand in a warding away gesture as she continued, "no, nevermind, I don't even know why I bother.  I'll just do it myself . . . as usual."  Shaking her head in disgust, she tried to storm past him, only to find herself trapped within his arms, securely wrapped around her.  Resting his head on her shoulder, Draco easily held her still despite Hermione's best efforts to break free of his grasp.

He bit back his laughter, "You really need to calm down, Hermione and remember that I'm very different than Potter.  I already handled most of the research during my free period and made you a copy, complete with citations.  Knowing you, I was sure that you'd want to double-check my work.  This way I thought we could spend our time engaged in more . . . interesting activities."  His breath was hot against the delicate skin of her throat and she actually felt her muscles begin to relax in his embrace.

"Hmmm, 'interesting' you say?  Dare I ask?"  She quickly added, "and don't think we're going back to your room, either."

Draco laughed.  "Aww, poor baby, is the temptation too much for you?  Even if I promise to be on my best behavior?"  The last question forced a reluctant smile from Hermione.

"Best behavior . . . Ha.  You don't even know the meaning of the word."  She lightly mocked him.  "So if we're not going to do any work, then I'd like to get some food, which would entail you letting me go, ok?"

            "Fair enough," he responded as his arms fell away at her request, leaving Hermione feeling slightly bereft, something Draco noted with a sense of satisfaction.  Stepping back, he looked at her all too slight figure critically for a moment, before continuing, "besides feeding you is always a good idea.  You don't eat enough as it is."  She rolled her eyes at him, but let that last statement pass without comment as she started out of the room.  Draco smirked at the small victory, snagging her bag and tossing it over his shoulder.  He captured her hand within his own as they walked off towards the kitchen.

Hermione was vaguely surprised that Draco even knew where the kitchens were.  She expected that he'd consider such knowledge below him, instead learning that he was very familiar with layout of the place.  Hopping up onto the counter, he snagging an éclair off a tray just set down by Winky, who scolded him in a motherly tone, "Master Draco, you shouldn't be eating such things before you eats dinner."  Hermione rushed in after him, hoping to forestall his angry reaction and was shocked when he laughed in response.

"Aww but Winky, you know you make them better than anyone else."

Shaking her head, the house-elf smiled for the first time Hermione had ever seen, as she bustled away, taking the éclairs out of temptations reach.  "Winky knows your sweet tooth and your sweet manner when you wants something, sir and Winky isn't fooled either.  The éclairs will be waiting after you've had some real food."  Draco popped the last bite into his mouth, before hopping down and wandering back around to Hermione.  

"Is Dobby back there somewhere?"

"Winky will send him up to you, Master Draco," came the faint response from the rapidly retreating house-elf.

"Are you ready for a special treat, Hermione-mine?"  Draco had somehow snuck up behind her, as she tilted her head to try and visually follow the house-elf with her eyes, his lips nibbling on the back of her neck.

Hermione shivered for a moment under his attention, before she remembered her newly found resolve against him and she broke free, turning to face him.  "What are you up to, Draco Malfoy?"  Her voice was lightly teasing, just bordering on flirtation, she quickly rationalized to herself, but that was fine because after all there was nothing terribly wrong with that. 

He intently searched her eyes, silently calculating her response, before deciding to play along and give a careless smirk.  "Just trying to show you a good time, Hermione-mine," his voice dropping to a rough whisper that made her wish they were somewhere a bit more private.

Taking a deep breath and wondering if she was playing too deep yet, she decided to take his more than obvious bait and ask the burning question. "Ok, I'm probably going to regret this," she looked up to see his smirk broaden and she had to restrain herself from sighing, "but why are you calling me Hermione-mine?" 

His eyes began to melt as they stared into hers and his fingers traveled the distance between them, brushing across her check to curl snugly around the back of her neck and gently tugged her towards him.  "Simply stating the fact that you are mine."  Somehow his words penetrated that place inside of her that only he was able to reach and her hand involuntarily rose to grab hold of his forearm, as if to help balance her.  She opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't think of a word to say.  Her tongue slipped out to run lightly across her lips and Draco nearly groaned.  Taking the last step forward, her head fell on his shoulder, as his hand fisted through her silken hair, wrapping around her head in a loose one armed embrace.

"Master Malfoy, Dobby has everything prepared just as asked to, sir."  Dobby's very excited voice broke the spell of the moment and Hermione backed up and turned to face the house-elf.  Dobby gasped, "And Harry Potter's girlfriend, sir?  Oh Dobby thinks this is wrong, Master Malfoy."  Draco sighed, mentally castigating himself because he really should have expected this, given the house-elf's tiresome adulation of Potter.

"Now Dobby, calm down, ok?  Remember what we talked about the other day?  Remember?"  Draco squatted down on the floor, lowering himself to the house-elf's level, his hands held out in an almost pacifying gesture.

Dobby looked up at him quizzically, before realization seemed to set in.  "Oh then Hermione Granger is the girl, sir?  But Master Malfoy, Harry Potter's girlfriend?"  He still seemed confused on that last point though.

Sighing, Draco stayed where he was, turning his head slightly towards the young woman in question.  "Hermione, will you please tell him that you are _not_ Potter's girlfriend?"

Caught off guard, she paused for a moment, before realizing that they were both waiting for her response, Draco seemed unusually impatient. "Ummmm, no, Dobby.  I'm definitely not Harry Potter's girlfriend.

"See, Dobby, what did I tell you?"  Draco rose to his feet in a smooth motion, "now about that 'surprise' . . . " and his voice trailed off, his eyebrow raised in expectation.  

"Oh yes, Master Malfoy, Dobby set everything up, just as you asked, sir."  The house-elf quickly set into motion leading the two in a darkly lit alcove off to the side, where a little table for two was set up.  Hermione walked in with a soft smile, noticing a selection of her favorite food and deserts, pleasantly surprised when Draco insisted on pulling out her chair, before sitting across from her.

Looking at the table laid out with everything he had asked for, Draco was pleased.  Finally something was going right tonight.  "Excellent job, Dobby.  I knew I count on you."

"Oh Master Malfoy, you know for you this was nothing for Dobby."

"Dobby, what have I said about the Master Malfoy bit, hmm?  You no longer work at Malfoy Manor and you know that you can just call me by my name now."  Draco's voice was gentle but firm as he looked at him with an expression that Hermione found inscrutable.

"Mas - Draco is right but it's a hard habit for Dobby to break, sir.  Dobby is sorry and promises to try harder, sir," and abruptly began bashing his head against the wall apologetically.  Looking at him, Hermione felt her old compassion begin to rise up and was about to intervene, when Draco spoke.

"Dobby stop that!"  Draco's voice was loud and harsher than Hermione had ever heard in what seemed like years, despite the recent provocations from Harry and others.  Her eyes widened as she realized that this time he was really angry.  When he saw that he had the house-elf's full attention, he continued in restrained compassionate tone, "you should know by now that you have no reason to _ever_ apologize to me."  The anger was still visible in his bearing and the stiffness of his shoulders, but Hermione could see how he kept it almost entirely sublimated and she wished, not for the first time that she knew what was really going on. 

Dobby gave a quick smile of relief and they exchanged a strange sort of understanding, before he quickly backed out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.  Draco took a deep breath, allowing himself to relax again and looked up at Hermione.  He had the odd thought that she was looking at him as if trying to dissect him.  He quirked up one corner of his mouth and asked, "well are you hungry or not, hmm?"  She broke out of her reverie and blushed to have been caught so blatantly staring at him.  Dinner passed quickly enough and quietly as Hermione suddenly discovered that she was indeed famished.  Draco just smirked through most of the meal, as she studiously avoided eye contact with him.  As they were leaving, Draco snagged two éclairs, conveniently left on a tray near the doorway.  Arching an eyebrow as Hermione opened her mouth to protest, he popped one into her surprised mouth and ate the other one himself.  "What?  You know that you wanted it."  Draco laughed at the expression on her face, while she simply rolled her eyes.  ****

They wandered off into the hallway, going nowhere in particular.  "So what's the deal between you and Dobby?"  Hermione's curiosity over their interaction, considering what she knew about how his father had treated Dobby, drove her to break the comfortable silence that had fallen between them.

Draco looked surprised and paused for a moment as if debating how honestly he should answer that question.  "Well, you know of course that Dobby was one of my father's house elves, right?"  Giving her no time to respond, he quickly went on with a strange cadence in his voice  - hesitating on some words, rushing through others - in a manner that she was unused to from him, "you have to _understand_ that when I say my father is bastard - I'm not exaggerating or making a joke, I am _deadly_ serious."  

At the first hint of the odd emphasis in his words, Hermione looked at him, unable to ignore the surge of concern she felt and that feeling only grew stronger as she listened to what he said and what she was afraid he _refused_ tosay.  Draco could feel her eyes on him, but wasn't quite ready to face whatever emotion might be in them, so he made sure to keep his safely averted from hers.  It was always such a careful balancing act with Hermione - between what he could say and what he knew he would _never_ be able to say to her.  If only she didn't matter _so damn_ much, then he wouldn't have to agonize over this shit!!!  But of course that was always the problem with her. . . 

"I know you've had the unfortunate luck to have met him a few times, and I can only apologize for whatever insulting things he did or said to you.  Believe me when I say that no matter how loathsome he might have seemed then, he is far worse in the privacy of his home- "

Hermione broke in at that point, her voice serious. "Look Draco, you don't have to apologize for _him_," try as she might, she was unable to keep all of her distaste for that man out of her voice. "I would _never_ hold you responsible for your father - "

He shrugged off her words, not wanting to acknowledge them, instead interrupting her to continue, "well, Dobby and I had . . . an alliance of sorts, since we usually topped my father's hit list, looking out for each other whenever things got really bad.  Of course, since it was my father who technically owned Dobby there was nothing I could do to set him free without incurring his more than painful wrath, but there were some things that I could do, like letting Dobby leave the house for instance."

"Ok, _so_ that is how Dobby was able to sneak out to find Harry.  I had always wondered about that," Hermione exclaimed, beginning to fit certain pieces of the puzzle that was Draco Malfoy together.

Smirking for the first time since the start of this particular conversation, Draco finally felt himself back on comfortable ground, adding, "yeah, and who do you think had to give Dobby the directions to find that idiot, hmmm?  Ahhh, I only wish that I could have been there when he dropped that cake on that muggle's head."

"Draco . . . " she reproved him, holding back a sigh.

"What?"  His eyebrow arched.

"Oh never mind," deciding to let that matter drop, she instead asked, "so where did you want to go?"

"Well, since my room is apparently _off limits_, " and even as he said that, he cast her a quick sidelong glance to see any weakening on her part regarding _that _decree, sighing faintly when he saw her look of resolve, "both of our common rooms are out for obvious reasons and I seriously doubt the dining hall would be particularly exciting, I'd suggest one of the classrooms.  How about the Astronomy room?  It should be empty at this hour and considering the view, would probably be our best bet."

"Hmm, well we do both have our cloaks and it's still relatively warm . . . so sure.  Why not?"

In agreement, they started the long climb up the stairs, vehemently debating the worth of "The History of Hogwarts," not that Draco really believed it wasn't worth the pages it was printed on, but he enjoyed played Devil's advocate and that even more, simply couldn't resist provoking her formidable temper.  Smiling down at her, he let her words flow over him as he instead focused on the excitement in her face and her voice as she passionately defended her most beloved of books.  Seeing that they had nearly reached their destination, he decided to give into his long restrained impulse and leaned down, brushing a light kiss across her forehead, "and of course, you're right, love.  How could I possibly argue with that?" 

Hermione fell silent mid-word in bemusement and turned to stare at him.  Did she hear him right?  Did he _actually_ just call her "love"?  In a distant corner of her mind, she wondered how long she might have stood there in confusion, if hadn't gently pulled her into the room alongside him.  She watched him as he dropped her bag on a desk near the closet, before he walked her out towards the open platform, her thoughts running rampant inside her head.  It wasn't fair, she decided, for him to casually drop something like that and then to act like it was nothing.  Well, if he wanted to play that way, then she could do the same.  On a certain level she was fully aware of how petulant that sounded, but didn't care.  She refused to react on command.

Shaking off his hand, Hermione walked out as far as she dared, until she was standing on the very edge and staring out across the night vista.  Despite her annoyance with Draco, it really was such a beautiful sight.  She turned back to him a brilliant smile, "This was a great idea, Draco.  I haven't been back up here since I quit Trelawney's class and never at night before."  

He smiled indulgently, taking a quiet and relieved satisfaction in her obvious pleasure.  For a moment there, he was afraid that he had gone too far, in calling her 'love,' maybe he'd miscalculated and she wasn't ready to accept that level of intensity from him yet, but he loved pushing her buttons.  He could always play it off and she'd never be the wiser, if worse came to worse.  This tightrope act was beginning to get to him, but what else could he do, when time was so rapidly running out?  Waiting until she turned back to look out over the castle grounds and the Forbidden Forest, he closed his eyes, trying to regain his mood from a few minutes ago, only to abruptly open them again when she began speaking.

"Look you can see the Big Dipper over there, " and she pointed up to the constellation, "it seems so close, like if you just reached up high enough you could touch it."

"Ha!  Anyone can find the Big Dipper," Draco laughed, stepping directly behind her.  He quickly captured her outstretched hand, in a loose grip, as he moved it a few inches.  "Do you see the Little Dipper?"  She nodded her head and he continued, "ok, now follow that to the very end of the 'handle', now that is Polaris, the North Star."

"Ohhhh . . . be still my heart . . . the Little Dipper, because that is _so_ much more exciting than the Big Dipper," the sarcasm in her voice was unmistakable.

Draco arched an eyebrow in response, "Feeling a bit cheeky tonight, aren't we?"  He shook his head in rueful amusement for a second, before his other arm slipped around her waist, pulling her back tightly against his hard chest.  Dropping his chin down to her shoulder, until she could feel the warmth of his breath against the air-chilled skin of her neck, "now if you'll stop being a brat, I will show you something that, well, if it isn't 'more exciting', than it is certainly more interesting than the Little Dipper."  Tilting her head a fraction of an inch to challenge that last statement, she turned to see his eyes almost glowing in the dim light and completely forgot what she was about to say, when for a long moment felt herself sinking into the abyss of conflicting emotions that she always sensed were just barely held under control in some deep and dark place within him.  Suddenly he pulled back slightly, his eyes flickering back out to the starlit sky and she felt off balance, as if she had just been set free from some invisible tether, leaning back against his warm body helped her re-gather her bearings.  

After a brief but seemingly significant pause, he continued speaking, "anyway, if you look between the last two stars of the Big Dipper, the pointer stars, and the North Star, "his fingers directing her own as he spoke, "they lead you to Thuban, the star that forms the end of the tail for the constellation Draco."  His fingers slowly traced through the stars, drawing the picture for her to visualize. 

Carefully following the image he outlined, Hermione, took a deep breath, hoping the crisp night air would help clear her head.  "I remember reading about this constellation and the legends about the dragon."

"Yeah, there are few stories, but my personal favorite is the one of the golden apple.  Draco was traditionally the guardian of temples, treasures, the springs of life and immortality, because of his vigilance, perception and loyalty.  The goddess Hera, queen of the heavens, choose him above all else to serve as protector of the precious golden apples that she had given as a wedding gift to her husband Zeus.  It's kinda of ironic when you think about it.  Draco was murdered by Hercules, Zeus's own son, who stole the apples for his 11th or 12th task, I forget.  Fucking upstart demi-gods. . .  Anyway, Hera rewarded Draco for his faithfulness by lifting him up into the sky to be remembered forever as a constellation and to be seen by all for eternity.  Who says there is no reward in death?"  

Draco gave a briefly sarcastic smirk, before shrugging his shoulders, "in that story, my namesake at least comes off better than in most of the others, but always ends up brutally dying in the end, no matter what.  When I was younger, I always wondered if that was somehow supposing to be foreshadowing my own eventual death."  At Hermione's sharp look, he added, "but then again, I was a _bit_ morbid as a child.  Whatever . . . another interesting fact about Thuban," he once again pointed his hand and hers along with it, "is that about four thousand years ago, it used to be the North Star.  The Great Pyramid in Egypt is perfectly aligned to it and in a few thousand more years, it will once again be aligned perfectly North."

"You are definitely a strange one, Draco Malfoy."  Hermione wasn't quite sure what to say after all that, but felt the need to say _something_ and figured that was as innocuous as she could possible get at this point.

One corner of his mouth quirked up into a half smile, "and you're just noticing that now, Granger?  I'm shocked, your highly vaunted powers of observation must be slipping."  She rolled her eyes and pulling her hand free, lightly smacked his arm, relieved that the awkward moment of seriousness seemed to have passed with little to no damage.

"Well, whatever the stories may be, I don't think anyone would argue about how very beautiful it is," her voice was very quiet, barely more substantial than a whisper, as she continued to gaze out the at the brightly lit sky.

Draco, drew back a millimeter or two to look down at her, taking the opportunity to brush a few stray strands of hair off her face, carefully tucking them behind one ear, and looked down at her fondly.  "Definitely beautiful," he murmured.  A faint noise caught his attention as he looked back towards the staircase, one of his fingers pressing against Hermione's lips in that universal understood gesture of silence.  After a moment of intense concentration, Draco was ready to chalk it up his imagination until he heard it again; only this time it was a steady creak and getting louder.  Someone was coming up the stairs!  If they were lucky it might be Flitch, if they were unlucky . . . well, there was always that ever-growing list of people that he was in no rush to have to deal with, especially with Hermione here - dammit, he needed to think fast.  He leaned down to whisper in her ear, his voice barely audible, "Hermione, do you trust me?" 

"Draco, what the hell is going on?"

"Yes or no, Hermione," he ground out, still in that low whisper, "awww, fuck it, we don't have the time to argue."  Pulling out his wand, he brushed his lips against her, "I'm sorry, Hermione, but this is for your own good.  Petrificus Totalus."  He winced at the look of shock on her face, as he dropped his wand to brace himself to catch her body.  Struggling to keep her body upright, he very carefully maneuvered her body a few feet away, straining himself to open the closet door without tipping her over, to lay her on the closet floor.  "I know, I know, you want to kill me for this.  I promise that I'll get rid of whoever is coming as quickly as possible and afterwards I'll give you your chance, ok?"  With an apologetic look in his eyes, he quietly shut the door, leaving her lying there helpless in the darkness.  Grabbing his wand, he sat down leaning against the wall, one leg outstretched along the edge of the floor, the other hanging outside and waited.

"So this is where you choose to lurk . . . an interesting choice, almost makes me wonder what you're trying to hide," the words dripped with a nearly visceral sense of oily suspicion.  Draco was glad he was facing the nighttime sky, since he doubted that he'd have been able to control his expression, as it was it took all his effort not to visibly flinch away from that voice.  Of all the people he least expected to see, of course, it had to be _him_ . . . at least he'd made sure Hermione was safely hidden away, but that was only a small consolation at this point.  Draco closed his eyes fiercely for a moment, exhaling a deep sigh, before he turned to face his father.

"Who were you up here with, Draco?"  Lucius prowled around the room, searching intently, randomly swinging his walking stick through the air.

"No one, sir."  Despite his best efforts to ignore it, Draco could feel the overwhelming impulse to confess all and to throw himself on his fathers mercy, before _it_ happened, but knew all too well from experience that there would be no mercy to be found, there never was.  Nor could he forget that Hermione was in the closet, completely unable to defend herself in any way and it was his fault.  The last four words echoed through his head, like a sick mantra he couldn't ignore. 

"Really?"  The disbelief was overly exaggerated and patently obvious.  "You wouldn't be . . . lying to me, now would you?"

"No, I'm not that stupid, sir."  He's just fishing . . . he doesn't actually know anything - he's just trying to fuck with me, as usual.  Draco felt his dread continue to rise within him as every second passed.

"Considering how much time we've spent together . . . correcting your many flaws, I would hope not, but then again, I never thought I would have to hear reports of you lowering yourself to associate with mudbloods either."   Lucius' words struck with the impact of an uncoiling viper, playing with its prey before moving in for the kill with deadly accuracy.

Draco's body suddenly froze very still for a second, a lack of movement that would only be detected by someone who was waiting for it, someone like Lucius Malfoy.  Draco's mind went completely and utterly blank, the only thing he could focus is on was the knowledge that he was fucked and that this time, it might be beyond any chance of redemption.  It didn't matter where he got his info from and there was no way to tell how much he knew, except to play this out.  Fuck.  Fuck.  Fuck.

"Can you image how bad it looks for me to have my only son and heir willingly spending time with that mudblood whore of Potters?  Hmmmm?  What do you have to say for yourself, Draco?"  Each word was bit out and crisply enunciated like the drawn out lash of a whip upon flesh.  In the midst of Draco's spiraling and almost uncontrollable panic, a corner of his mind was sarcastically laughing in relief, at least the chances were good that even his father wouldn't actually _bring_ his whip onto school grounds.

"It's not like that, sir," the words began tumbling out of Draco's mouth without any conscious thought.  Come on, dammit, think of something and fast.  Just remember you have Hermione, in the closet, listening to every word and your father, standing in front of you, who'd have no compunction with killing you - don't worry, Draco, there's no pressure or anything, he thought to himself, the laughter in his head building up to a near hysteria.

"Place your wand on the desk," his father's voice was low and malevolent and Draco knew what was coming.  The only outward reaction he allowed himself was the white-knuckled grip on his wand, before he forced his hand open, allowing it to fall out of his now nerveless fingers.  

Trapped in the closet, Hermione felt like she was going to go insane with an intense combination of fear and frustration.  No matter how much she struggled against Draco's spell, there wasn't a dammed thing she could do and she was all too aware of that fact.  Her eyes and back of her throat burned, with the tears that would not fall and then she heard Lucius tell Draco to put down his wand and gasped in shock.  Whatever Lucius was intending to do, he obviously wanted Draco to be unable to defend himself, but Draco had to know that, right?  Hermione told herself that he was going to tell his father to fuck off . . . and then panic welled exploded inside her, when she heard the next few words spoken.

"Well, I'm pleased to see you haven't forgotten how, at the very least, to obey your betters," the elder Malfoy was almost gleeful in his smug satisfaction.  Ever since Draco was a young child, he had used every trick in his vast arsenal to indoctrinate his son into conditioned and unthinking obedience: teaching him that submission on command was far more preferable than the punishment for even appearance of failure.  The slightest hint of rebelliousness, independent thought, free will or defiance were not to be permitted under any circumstances and would be punished in the extreme.  He had far too much riding on his son's continued loyalty and compliance.  Originally, he had wanted to send Draco toDurmstrang Institute, afraid the mudblood and mudblood-lovers influence at Hogwarts would weaken him, but decided with Harry Potter being his same age, it would be a prime opportunity for his son to prove himself as a deatheater and thus yet another coup for Lucius.  "So now why don't you tell me exactly how it is."  He didn't even try to disguise the sneer in his voice.

Draco could feel his slight veneer of control begin to give way to the intense fear his father was able to draw out of him.  He toyed with the idea of giving the story of his detention and then the potion assignment, but looking up at his father briefly he knew that he had already waited too long to be believed.   He couldn't risk his father putting him under the Imperius curse, Merlin only knew what he might to forced to say or do.  No, he'd have to give his father what he wanted, this time, at least.  "I was planning on getting close to her and then turning her against Potter.  She might be a muggle, but she is also the brains of the group, without her assistance, I though it'd be that much easier to capture him for our lord."  He tilted his head in a half-bow, his eyes lowered respectively to the floor.  Draco knew that if he looked Lucius in the face, then he'd never be able to disguise the hatred in his eyes.  Hopefully, Hermione would let him explain before she attacked him, although at this point, he'd be thankful just to get that chance.  

In that split second, Hermione cringed, cursing herself to hell for allowing herself to end up in this situation, while waiting with a morbid curiosity to hear the words that would damn her followed by the opening of the closet door.

"Hmmmm, while I applaud you for taking the initiative, I wonder why you never bothered to keep me informed.  Perhaps you need a reminder of exactly whose orders you are supposed to following, boy."  His voice was suddenly silken with menace and he raised his wand abruptly, smiling cruelly, "Crucio."  Draco involuntary tensed his muscles a split second before he heard the curse, knowing what was coming but unable to keep himself standing when the wave of intense agony struck, nor able to stop his scream of pain.  "Now why don't you tell me what you've really been up to?  You know the drill, all you have to do is tell me the truth and only then will I allow all pain to stop."

"Nothing sir," Draco gasped out, "I was just trying to . . . ahhhh- " he bit through his lip trying to hold back his screaming; hoping that the taste of his blood would help ground him.  "Just trying to . . . to make you proud, sir."  

Hermione flinched internally when she heard Draco's confession, waiting for him to continue, and again when she heard Lucius use the unforgivable curse on him and the sound of what had to have been Draco's body hitting the floor.  Her emotions racing from one extreme to another as she realized exactly what he was knowingly sacrificing in choosing to remain silent.  

Lucius stared at his son lying helplessly on the floor below writhing in throes of the agonizing pain, still fighting to rise to his feet.  He was completely indifferent to the suffering before him or the fact that it was his son.  On the contrary, the only issue that seemed to disturb him at all was uncertainty of whether the boy was attempting to deceive him.  It was possible to lie under the effect of Crucius curse, extremely difficult, true, but not entirely impossible.  He couldn't image Draco having the strength of will needed to focus on deception while being tortured, but he had to allow for the possibility, no matter how improbable it might be.  

Not the first time, he contemplating walking away, but he'd invested too much in the boy to allow him to die just yet, besides this scheme the boy had begun might actually show some results, although he seriously doubted that idea.  Something shadowed Lucius's cold features as he stared down intently at his son. Suspicion and contemplation moving like deadly undercurrents.  Draco might be developing some sort of misplaced sense of loyalty or even worse a conscience, and its emergence must be carefully controlled and manipulated. _And used_ before being ultimately destroyed, he reminded himself.  Draco knew better than to try and evade the piercing gaze.  The world was graying at the edges of his vision from blood loss and pain, but he kept control of himself and stood quietly, but violently shivering, and waited for the next question or death, whatever came first.   
  


Reluctantly, Lucius waved his wand, bringing an end to the curse,  "never forget, boy, you owe everything to me, including your very life.  I will allow you a bit of leeway in this matter, but I except to be kept informed on your progress.  The Day of Reckoning is fast approaching and you damned well know of your special role in the proceedings to come.  Fail me again, in any way, and the consequences will be severe enough to make you long for today, do you understand me?"  At Draco's weak nod of assent, he generously added, "excellent.  I have to leave, so you can tell your little friend they can take off their invisibility cloak now," and walked out of the room, leaving his son who finally completely collapsed on the floor, slipping in and out of consciousness.  

Draco was drifting in and out of awareness, between a hazy impression of a pale, washed out gray mist and the all too vivid sensations of what he recognized from experience as reality.  He knew there was something, something waiting for him, but couldn't follow the faint tendrils of memory, wondering why he even bothered to struggle anymore when letting go was so much easier.  What could possibly be so important?  And as if in response, cinnamon rain seemed to color his world as he remembered her eyes, then her face, and he forced himself back.__

_Get up_, Draco thought contemptuously, even as he tried to ignore that coppery taste of blood in his mouth.  _Get up.  You don't have time for this shit.  Get the fuck up_.  Blinking he saw the coarse planks of wood, liberally splattered with his own blood, and took a deep breath.   Draco braced himself, placing his palms flat on the floor and forced himself off the floor.  He staggered to his feet, grabbing the edge of the desk for support and weakly found his wand with his free hand.  Stumbling to the closet, he pulled it open and nearly fell over in the process.  Hermione stared up at him, as he slumped against the doorframe next to her, sliding to the floor.  She wasn't sure exactly what she had been expecting, but this was as about as bad as her worst fears.  "Finite incantatum," his voice was rough and hoarse, as he waved his wand unsteadily, before it slipped though his numb fingers and his head fell forward to chest.

Suddenly freed from the spell, Hermione sat up and immediately crawled the foot and a half distance between her and Draco to kneel before him.  "Oh my god, are you ok?"  She reached out with gentle fingers to tilt his head back slightly so she could look him in the eye and was startled by how cold his skin was to her touch. 

"Define ok."  He opened one eye to peer at her, giving a weak laugh.  "You know all the times, I've imagined you on your knees, this isn't quite how I pictured it."  She could tell that he was trying to sound as normal as possible, but the forced humor in his voice did nothing to alleviate her concern, especially when contrasted by the dull look in his eyes.  His skin was pasty white, making the blood dripping down from his lip seem that much more ominous and she could still see the muscle convulsions running just under his skin.  Her smile was shaky, but she decided that if he needed to maintain this facade, the least she could do was to play along.  "Sorry to disappoint," she quipped, her mind focusing on figuring out what to do next.  "Come on, let's get out of this closet, I've spent enough time in here anyway."  She gingerly lifted one of his arms around her neck and very carefully helped him stand.

Bearing most of his weight, Hermione fought to keep her balance and gave a sigh of relief, once she finally reached the desk.  Looking up at her, in a weak imitation of his usual smirk, he said, "thanks for the lift," as he fell heavily into the seat.  She just raised her eyebrow at him before she grabbed her bag.  Dumping it out onto the floor, she hastily began picking though various things, flashing a brief smile of triumph, as she found the object of her search.

"Ha!"  She exclaimed, "I knew this was in here somewhere, I always keep at least one on hand for emergencies," she said as she quickly unwrapped the thick bar of Cadbury chocolate.  "Here, eat this, it should help a bit."  He accepted it with a slight nod and color began to return to his checks, taking a slight edge off Hermione's worry.  Draco could feel his strength slowly returning, although he still felt half dead, but figured that he'd gotten off easy so far.  For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why Hermione hadn't cursed him herself yet, maybe in the name of Gryffindor fairness, she wanted him to be able to stand on her feet, before attacking him.  Bloody honorable Gryffindors . . . 

Sick of waiting for the other shoe to drop, he kept his eyes averted from hers asking, "so now what?"  His voice was filled with painful anticipation and he hated himself for allowing it to escape.

 "Hmmm," she looked up in surprise, breaking off another piece of the chocolate and putting it in his hand.  "Well, I figured that the first thing we should do is to get you to see Madame Pomfrey.  The chocolate is good, but she probably has other medicine that would help you even more."

"What?"  Draco looked up startled.  "Why the hell are you still trying to help me?"

"Oh . . ." Hermione's kept her voice steady as she was beginning to understand that he expected her to just abandon him.  Sighing, she pulled up a desk and sat down, brushing away some sweat-dampened hair that had fallen into his eyes.  Taking a gamble and hoping like hell it was one that she would win, she asked him, "Would it make you feel better if I left?"

He opened his mouth to immediately retort, but they closed it almost as quickly, almost as if he had thought better of the impulse.  "Actually, yeah it would."  He shook his head and it only took a moment for the sudden stab of pain to convince him that was a bad idea and he sighed.  "Look, if this some sort of Gryffindor charity shit, you don't have to worry about it.  This is the last place you want to be, so you can run off and do whatever."  The words tumbled out, one after another, as he stared over her shoulder, refusing to meet her eyes.  He laughed sarcastically, "It's not like it was the first time he's cursed me and it won't be the last, so it's really no big deal."  Draco then closed his eyes, figuring that would do the trick.  He needed her to leave, before he completely broke down.  At this point, he was more than willing to insult her, even force her to leave if that was what it was going to take, not that he sure he'd be able to magic his way out of a paper bag at this moment.  

Something inside of Hermione felt like it was breaking as she listened in horror to his toneless and apathetic recital of the facts as he saw them.  When she realized that he believed in what he was saying, her anger began to grow.  He honestly expected her to just get up and leave!    Granted, she had been more that a little freaked out by what she'd heard, but considering what he'd went through, she could feel nothing but an intense sense of compassion for him and a violent desire for retribution from his father, although she was quick to realize that now was not time for either emotion.  She knew from what he had let slip earlier that his father had seriously fucked him up as a child, but she had no idea that it was anywhere near this bad.  Walking out now, she knew without saying would be beyond disastrous.

To everyone who reviewed my last chapter - YOU ROCK!!!!  LOL.  Thank you all so very much - you really do make this all worthwhile for me ;)  The next chapter is about half way to completion & will up fairly soon, hopefully within a week.

Ok . . . once again, if you've left me your email, I added you to my brand new mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if I didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile.  Now I know more of you are reading this than are reviewing & I hate to whine, but come on . . . this chapter is 30 pages double spaced!!!!  A line or two review won't kill you & you really have no idea how much I wait for & get excited by reviews, checking my email OBSESSIVELY & it would be nice to break 300.  Don't forget that it's good karma to review, you'll be more than amply rewarded in the next life, plus it's terribly encouraging to be to post the next chapter that much quicker.   So please read, enjoy & review ;)


	23. Those Nefarious Slytherin activities

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me.  This chapter was . . . difficult, lol, it was supposed to be somewhat of a break from the more intense few chapters, but Draco & Hermione both insisted on being stubborn, so this chapter turned into three, none of which went how I initially intended to write them {{{sighing}}}. On top of everything else, my stupid keyboard is screwed up, but hopefully, I'll get a new one later on this week.  And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry.  Anyway, let's skip the AN & get back into the story. . .

Chapter 23 – Those Nefarious Slytherin activities

Hermione resisted her impulse to hug him, afraid of injuring him further, so she restrained herself to just sitting there, watching him as she occasionally passed him pieces of chocolate.  She had already refilled her bag and idly wondered what time it was, because it had to be getting late at this point.  It wasn't like her to waste time, but she really didn't what else to do.  The silence was oppressive between them, but she had no idea how to break it, without disturbing the fragile balance they had found.  Draco had withdrawn completely inside his own head, his eyes staring sightlessly at some random point over her shoulder in some place she couldn't figure how to reach.  She wanted to comfort him, but this was well beyond her depth of experience and she was afraid that leaving to get help would only make things worse, but she couldn't think of any other viable option.

Draco, on the other hand, couldn't figure out what she was playing at.  She obviously had no intention of leaving anytime soon and as much as he might wish to make her, he had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't up to that task at the moment.  Knowing her, she probably wanted to somehow "fix" this or even worse "fix" him, but Draco knew better – sometimes no matter how much you might want to, not everything can never be fixed, the problem was going to be convincing her.  He wished he had the courage to look into her eyes, so he'd have an idea of what was going through her head, but he couldn't make himself.  He wasn't ready to see the pity, disgust or horror in her eyes and didn't know which he was more afraid of.  After a while, she began to get visibly impatient, squirming in her seat and making herself impossible for him to continue to ignore.  

"Ok, Hermione, I can tell you're dying to say something, so just get it over with, alright?" 

His deliberately impassive tone and the fact that he still refused to acknowledge her existence in any other way was irritating as hell and she had to bite back her impulse to bitch him out.  She could see how to was trying to distance himself from her and even thought she understand why he was doing it, but that didn't mean that she was going to let him get away it, either.  "Look, you might not want to, but I really think you need to go and see Madame Pomfrey - "

Cutting her off angrily, he sighed.  "I know you're a bloody do-gooder Gryffindor, but are you really that naïve?"  At her blank look of confusion, he continued, shaking his head, "Dammit, Granger, think for a moment!  You're supposed to be the smartest student this school has seen in generations, so use that brain of yours.  I can't go anywhere near that damn medical wing, for reasons that should be more than obvious, even to you." 

Despite her best resolutions, something about him had the unique ability to make her loose her vaunted self-control and she snapped back, "Fuck off, Malfoy.  I'm trying to _help_ you!!!  So why won't you let me, asshole?"

 "Help me?!?!  I never asked for your damn help, did I?"  He retaliated, his temper now also aroused.

 "Well, like it or not, Draco, you need someone's help and I don't see anyone else here, do you?"

 "Then get the fuck out!!!" Draco threw back at her.  

There was a moment of intense silence between them, his darkly almost storm-lit eyes finally met hers and she gasped at the fury she saw in them.  Uncertainty suddenly struck her, maybe this was more than she could handle, because, really, what did she know about this kind of abuse that he was obviously more than used to?  Hermione decided, no matter what he wanted, she had to get someone to help.  Someone else, an adult, someone had to be able to do something to stop this.  Raising her arms in a gesture of surrender, she stood up, gathered her bag and began quietly backing out of the room. 

Draco winced, feeling the odd stirrings of guilt and self-reproach in the heavy silence.  This _is_ what he wanted - to be left alone - but his thoughts were unconvincing, even to himself.  He watched her walking away, the empty and hollow feeling inside him seeming to grow.  His mouth opened to say . . . hell, he didn't even know what he wanted to say.  He knew that he shouldn't call her back, didn't even know if she would come back, but he wasn't ready for this yet.  Watching her walk away from him like this bothered him in ways he didn't even want to think about.  

"Hermione . . . wait.  Please, don't go, don't leave," his words were reluctantly torn from him and spoken so softly that she could barely heard them.  Turning in the doorway, she paused, looking back at him but his eyes were already closed in defeat, unwilling to watch if she decided to leave, after all.  Holding his breath, he listened, waiting to hear the slam of the door over his thudding heartbeat and fuzziness in his head.  When after a moment went by and he still didn't hear anything, he hesitantly opened his eyes to see her standing and facing the door, her body half twisted, paused for the moment, but still ready to walk out.  "Look, I know you only want to help and seriously, I do appreciate it, but you just don't understand."

Walking back to him, Hermione sat down on the floor in front of him, "what is that I don't understand?"

Sighing, he closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair.  "You think it's so easy, don't you?"

"Isn't it?"  Her voice was very quiet.

"Come on, Hermione, I can't go to Madame Pomfrey, it's just not possible."

"Why not?"

"Because," Draco felt like bashing his head into the nearest wall, "assuming she even believes me about the Cruciatus curse, she is going to want to know who cast it and why my reaction was so mild and I can't tell anyone that, ever."  Was she even listening to him?

"Draco, why can't you tell them that your father cast the Cruciatus on you?  Because he'll go to Azkaban?!?  Yeah, well did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, he deserves to?"  Hermione tried, but failed to keep her intense frustration out of her voice.  Ok, so Lucius _was_ his father, but he treats Draco terribly!  For the life of her, she couldn't understand how his being locked up for the next ten years or so could be anything but a good thing.

He opened his eyes to stare at her seriously, "and what the fuck do you think that is actually going to accomplish?"  His voice was tired, sick of arguing a battle he'd fought in his own head for years.  "In case you've forgotten, my father works for the damn Ministry, Hermione.  Even if I could get anyone to take my word against his, do you really believe that he'd allow himself to be caught?"  He laughed bitterly, one of things he admired most about her was her innate belief in people - that sense of innocence she still maintained despite everything she'd seen in her life and he hated to be the one to taint it.  It never occurred to him that he was only a few months older than she was, but had lost whatever innocence he might have had too long ago to even remember.

"Despite what you might think, every Aurur isn't in the Order of the Phoenix and even if they are, it doesn't mean they can be trusted."  He smirked sarcastically, when she looked at him in shock.  "Remember, Peter Pettigrew was in the Order and he still turned traitor, didn't he?  And he wasn't the only one, Voltemorte has more spies than you can imagine and my father, even more.  They would never catch him or even worse they would." 

"What does that mean?  And how do you know about the Order of Phoenix?"  Hermione's eyes focused in on him suspiciously.

He shook his head, clearly annoyed, "I understand that this might be hard for you to realize, but when it comes to things like this, maybe, just fucking maybe, I know more than you do, ok?  If my father gets locked up, what the hell do you would happen to me?  Remember, I'm still a minor and it's not exactly like the wizarding world has anything even vaguely resembling muggle foster care.  My mother can't take care of herself, let alone me, and my nearest relatives are either locked up in Azkaban or on the run from it.  Besides, sooner or later some Deatheater would find and kill me in retaliation or else Lucius will do it himself.  It doesn't matter because either way, I'd be fucked."       

Once again, Hermione found herself not knowing what to say.  He was right, she only knew what she learned in school or picked up from Ron and his family, but lacked the basic familiarity with the wizarding world that someone who like Draco had grown up in it would have.  On the other hand, she refused to believe that there wasn't anything or anyone that could stop this, because no matter what Draco might say, something needed to be then about his father, but she didn't think that she was going to convince Draco of that anytime soon.  She decided the best thing was to go along with him for now, but to figure what else she could for him on her own, since he was obviously refusing to consider all of his options.   

 "Ok, fine, we won't go to Madame Pomfrey, but you need something more than just chocolate."

He ran his hair though his hair, brushing it out of his eyes, with a slight smirk on his face.  "Well there is something that I usually do after getting hit with an unforgivable that takes the edge off a bit, but I should probably go alone, since it's not exactly your scene."  There was the slightest hint of a challenge in his voice that she couldn't quite interpret, but for the first time since he left her in the closet he was acting anywhere near his usual smart-ass self and it was enough to elicit a reluctant smile from her.

 Tilting her head up at him, she arched an eyebrow, "ok, I'm sure I'm going to regret this, but, you might as well tell me what you're planning, since there is no way in hell, I'm leaving you alone in this state."

His smirk grew a shade wider, trap set and sprung.  He hadn't planned on this particular snare, but Draco was never one to pass up a prime opportunity when it dangled before him either.  As long as he was still strong enough to pull it off, this might actually work out in his favor.   "Hmmm, well in that case, perhaps it be better if I showed you."  Tentatively standing up, he tested his balance and while it wasn't as steady as he'd like, he was reasonably satisfied that he wasn't about to keel over either and began walking out of the room.  "Well, are you coming or not," he tossed over his shoulder.  Hermione's eyes narrowed as she wondered what he was up to _this_ time, because she'd seen that smirk before and it was all too gleeful which set off her mental alarm bells, knowing Draco it only boded trouble.  She sighed as she stood up, in for a penny, in for a pound, she thought and began following him down the stairs. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Elsewhere Snape was walking from Dumbledore's office where they were having a meeting to discuss recent developments with the Order of Phoenix and was on his way to update Infinity.  Suddenly shopping short, he ducked around the corner to watch Lucius Malfoy stroll out, looking overly smug, which as Snape knew from experience was never a good thing.  His eyes narrowed as he wondered where Draco was and more to the point, what condition he was in.  He waited momentarily for Malfoy to pass, before he hurried to his office and connecting quarters, if Draco needed a potion, he'd better make sure that he had something on hand and ready for him.  Opening the door, he quickly strode across the room, until he reached his supply cabinet and began removing various flasks and bottles and placing them somewhat haphazardly on the counter.

 "Whatcha making?"  Infinity strolled across the room, hopping up onto his desk, idly picking up the ingredients he laid out and reading the labels.

 "A healing potion for Draco.  I saw his father earlier and I haven't seen Draco since."  Snape continued digging through his cabinet, until he found the last bottle he was looking for.

 "Why?  You don't mean – " Infinity's voice trailed off, as she turned to him with a serious expression on her face.

 "Take your pick of either the Cruciatus or Imperius curse, those tend to be his curses of choice when he wants to keep Draco in line, although I'd bet on the Cruciatus."  Snape's voice was tight with repressed anger and his precise movements were a clear indicator to her of exactly how furious he actually was.    

"Damn."  She hopped off the desk and began to pace around it.  "You mean it's starting already?"  Looking up at him she had her answer.  "Bloody hell, I had hoped that we'd have more time than this."  She sighed heavily.  "To make matters worse, I think things are beginning to heat up between Harry Potter and Draco, as well.  I'll you give one guess why?"

"Miss Granger, I'd presume.   And for the bonus point, I'd also say she was Lucius' excuse for whatever he might have done to Draco."

"You know, I really hate that bastard.  Don't you wish that you hadn't stopped me from destroying him years ago?"  As soon as the words crossed her lips, she mentally slapped herself in the head, already wishing she could call them back.   She knew as well as anyone that certain events had to be allowed to occur, but that didn't mean she had to like that fact.  "I'm sorry, Servus, that was a low blow, especially since I know were right and I'm as much to blame as anyone else."  She walked over to place a hesitant hand on his arm, half fearful he might shake her off, closing her eyes briefly in relief as she felt him relax under her touch.  "It's just so hard to not interfere."

"No one, least of all me, is happy about how this has all turned out thus far.  Watching it all unfold and knowing that we had no choice but to let it happen has been especially difficult.  We were at war then and very little has changed.  At the time, it seemed like our best, and maybe our only, option to win."  He shook his head wearily.  "None of us could have known what that bastard, Lucius, was planning in that damned house, but out of everyone, I _should_ have."  His voice was unbearably grim to Infinity's ears.  "We're all responsible in varying degrees - you, me _and_ Dumbledore, we made the decision to keep Lucius alive and out of Azkaban and Draco has been paying the price ever since.  Given the chance to do it again," his tone changed to that of an almost cool confession, "I might have killed Lucius myself."  Moving in his elegantly spare and carefully controlled motions, he continued measuring out the components of the potion.  "There is nothing to do now, but to let this play out and try to protect him as best as we can."

Infinity walked up behind him, resting her head on his shoulder.  "But can we?  Can we really protect him?  You have to admit, we've done a terrible job of it so far."  

Snape closed his eyes and let his head rest against her for a moment.  "Well, if the ending scene is coming, then at least we'll finally be free to act.  It will be enough, it has to be."  His arm wrapped back around her body tightly for a moment, before releasing her.  "Stand back," and they both moved back as he added the last ingredient and the potion sparked.  He waited as the green smoke cleared, before carefully pouring the newly made potion into a bottle and carefully labeling it Sedo Versum.  "For now all we can do is wait."

Infinity hopped back onto the desk, clearly unsatisfied with that answer.  "Yeah . . . did I ever mention to you how much I hate waiting?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione was growing more impatient by the minute and Draco adamantly refused to tell where they were going or what they were going to do when they got there.  It was enough to make her want to scream.  The knowledge that she would wake up nearly every student, not to mention professor in range, or even worse Flitch, was the only thing keeping her silent.  "Where the hell are we going, Draco?"  She fiercely whispered, tugging on his robe, pulling him to a dead stop.

Looking down at her, he lazily smirked.  "Why?  Getting nervous already, Granger?"  His hand reached out, brushing a lock of her hair off her face.  "Maybe you should just run along to your little Gryffindor ivory tower, hmm?"

She rolled her eyes.  "Don't think I'm oblivious to the fact that you are deliberately baiting me, _Malfoy_.  If you want me to leave that badly, just say the word and I'm gone, I wouldn't want to impede any of your nefarious Slytherin activities."

Draco stared at her a moment, before he began laughing.  "If I didn't want you to come here, then believe me, you wouldn't be.  But nefarious?  Do you really think so?  I almost feel complimented."

Hermione shook her head in disbelief.  "Of course you would.  Why am I not surprised?  Anyway, your best effort to distract me has failed, miserably, I might add, I still want an answer to my question."

 "Don't kid yourself."  Draco braced one hand on the wall above Hermione's head and leaned in, his breath brushing her neck.  "That was hardly, my 'best' effort," before abruptly pushing himself away, "but unluckily for you, I'm not quite up to speed enough for that yet.  Maybe later . . .  if you're a good little girl."  He turned his back to her, one hand pressing against his ribs, as he winced in pain.  Lately the aftereffects had been getting worse, but he'd be damned if he let his father ruin his life anymore tonight and after a moment he recovered.  He gave her a teasing smile and if it seemed a little forced, neither decided to comment on it, before he continued towards wherever he was taking her.  Eyes wide open, she watched him walk away a few feet.  "Well, are you coming or not?"  He tossed over his shoulder.  

In the back of her mind, Hermione really wondered what she was doing.  Although Draco was putting on a good show, she had years of experience seeing things that people didn't necessarily want her to notice and was well aware that he wasn't as fine as he'd like her to believe . . . unless that was what he_ wanted_ her to think, with him you could never be sure.  Damn sneaky Slytherins . . .  She narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists.  He really was determined to drive her mad, she decided, before she grudgingly began following him again. 

Draco smirked when he heard her catching up with him.  Since he'd began spending time with the Gryffindor, he'd been slowly introducing her to the more shadowy aspects of his life, but he really wondered how she was going to react to this taste of "nefariousness".  Honestly, it could go either way – she either run out immediately searching for a professor to bust him or she'd wind up partaking in one fashion or another.  The unpredictability factor was one of the facets of her personality that he adored watching in action, the little bit of random chaos that was endlessly fascinating to him.  

Finally they reached the room – the former home of Dumbledore's Army, the Room of Readiness.  Draco had to knock loudly to be heard over the din of music she could hear playing from beyond the door and a voice suspiciously demanded, "password?"  Hermione looked at Draco in surprise because she knew that voice very well, but he ignored her, kicking the door violently instead.  

 "Fuck off, Seamus and open the damn door."

"I need a password," the voice now recognizable as Seamus Finnigan insisted.

"You fucking prat!  Who the hell do you think you are, a bouncer at a speakeasy or something?  Obviously it's me, Malfoy, and not a narc or a professor, because I'd have already broken the bloody door in already."  Draco's voice was growingly increasingly impatient and he began sliding his wand out of his pocket, when the door abruptly opened.  He grabbed Hermione's arm, dragging her suddenly reluctant figure into the smoke clouded room as he strode into the middle of it.  

Ok . . . once again, if you've left me your email, I added you to my brand new mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if I didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. Once again, I'm really sorry about the delay, like Draco, things got out of my control. I promise if you continue to review & show interest in this story, I will definitely continue to write it.  Don't forget reviews are like candy & I'm nothing if not a sugar addict. So please, read, enjoy & review ;)


	24. Smoking Up With Hufflepuff

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me.  This chapter is part 2 in what started as an absurdly long chapter, now broken up into 3, that was supposed to be somewhat of a break from the more intense past few chapters, but Draco & Hermione both insisted on being stubborn, so this part of the story which refused to go according to plan, but hopefully reads ok {{{sighing}}}.  **_WARNING_** – there is recreational drug use in this chapter {if the title didn't tip you off, then I apologize for the spoiler}, I debated over whether to post this chapter or to edit it, based on a few reviews, I received, eventually deciding to post it, slightly altered.  I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I honestly tried & failed in rewriting a plausible alternative version, besides if it matters at all, while Draco is partaking in illegal substances, it is for medicinal purposes, I swear ;).   And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry.  Anyway, let's skip anymore of the AN & get back into the story . . .

Chapter 24 – Smoking Up With Hufflepuff

Hermione's eyes opened wide as the unfamiliar and strangely sweet smoke burned her eyes and throat.  Rubbing her eyes, she was shocked.  Sitting around her in a loose circle were various members of her class, who were apparently smoking something that was very obviously not cigarettes!!!  She turned to Draco in shock, fully prepared to start screaming at him.  Scanning the room, he spotted an open spot in a far corner, outside the circle and almost out of sight, stalking towards it, he forcefully pushed her down onto a plush cushion on the floor, before almost falling down himself right next to her.  Pulling her tightly against him, Draco looked down at the more than rebellious look in her face that all but promised him a very swift and painful retribution.  

Making the quick decision, Draco leaned down and in a voice pitched low enough to only be audible to her, whispered, "I know I'll hear about this later, but before you completely flip out, listen to me for once and follow my lead.  Otherwise I will be forced to silence you," his hand that had reached around her throat in a slight caress, tightened a mere fraction, but enough for her to understand him, as he pointedly tapped the side of her neck with his wand, "and despite what you may believe, I really don't want to have do that, ok?"  She nodded, although her eyes still glared at him and his lips lightly brushed against her temple, as his hand loosened and his thumb began rubbing her skin, even as his free hand slipped his wand back into his pocket.  She tried to break free of his arms and Draco grimaced slightly, but wasn't about to let go, so she relaxed against his body, deciding to wait until he loosened his grip on her.

Smirking Draco felt her acquiescence, but knew damn well she was only waiting for her opportunity and that was fine with him.  As far as he was concerned, it was all a matter of negotiation and compromise and since he had no intention of losing, he was confident that this too would end in his advantage.  "Finchley, pack me a bowl, will you?"  He called out, tucking her head snugly under his chin.  The Hufflepuff prefect raised an eyebrow questioningly, making an oblique reference to Hermione's presence that Draco scoffed at.  "Look I always knew that you Hufflepuff lot were a bit on poncy side, but get over it, will you?"

"Yeah, well _I'm_ in her house and I'm wondering what the hell you're thinking bringing her here," Seamus's voice grew louder as he continued speaking.  He stopped short when they both turned to stare at him, before quickly adding, "no offense, of course, Hermione."

"None taken, I'm sure," Draco voice was full of irony that completely escaped Seamus.  "Look Finnigan, I know you're currently stoned out of your head and your intelligence level was low enough to begin with, but try to understand me when I say that I've already explained the deal to Hermione.  As always, what happens in this room, stays in this room, nothing has changed."

"Oh what's the matter, Granger can't talk for herself?  She's got to let the purebred speak for her?" Owen Cauldwell sneered, his words ugly and slurred, as if he'd been drinking as well.

Draco's glare quickly focused, dangerously bright, on him, "She doesn't have anything to prove to a burnt out loser, like you.  I brought her here, push me any further and I'll more than enjoy showing you your proper place.  Watch your step, Hufflepuff."  For all the anger of his words, his voice was intensely cold and compressed.  Hermione was unable to repress a shiver, all too aware of how similar his behavior compared to that of his father earlier.  For a moment, Draco wanted him to continue, wanted nothing more than the chance to waste him in a duel.  He brought himself back under control.  Yeah, he was pissed that Seamus and Owen had to open their fucking mouths, but the fact of the matter was he brought her here and at this point, he'd likely get his ass kicked anyway.  He really was an idiot sometimes, and decided to chalk this experiment up as one not to be repeated anytime soon.  However, in true Malfoy form, he refused to back down, hopefully his reputation would prove intimidating enough.      

 "I didn't bitch when any of you were brought in here, so I expect you to keep your shit to yourself.   Now does anyone else have a fucking problem?"  He challenged, looking around the room searching for a hint of dissonance, smirking slightly when no one dared to meet his eyes.  "So Finchley, will you _now_ pass me the bloody bowl?  And will somebody please turn up the damned music, because even if it sucks, which believe me it _does_, it's still better than listening to your mindless babble . . ."

Hermione was beyond furious, she couldn't believe that he had the audacity to bring_ her_, the head girl, here and then actually threatened her!!!  Ok, so, he _was_ defending her now . . . sort of, but then again, he was the one who dragged her here in the first place.  At this point, she didn't even care that he was hurt, her elbow suddenly jabbing him in the stomach almost involuntarily.  Breaking out into a sudden coughing fit, Draco folded his body around hers, subtly pinning her arms to her sides for his own protection.  

"Look, if you'll recall, I told you to leave me alone and you decided to follow me.  No one is going to report you, if that's what you're worried about, nor are you going to report anyone else.  So calm down and chill the fuck out, ok?"  Draco hissed in her ear.

"You are _such_ a bastard," she whispered back just as fiercely, still trying to squirm against his body.

Draco laughed in her ear, a low and seductive sound that she could feel as well as hear reverberate though her, almost coaxing her to give in to him.  "Maybe so, but I'm also the bastard who is holding you, so a bit of respect might be in order, hmmm?  Besides, while you might be angry with me, think about it - if you weren't here, then where would you be, lying on your bed, all alone?  Can honestly tell me that you'd prefer that?  Live a little, Hermione, open yourself up to alternative possibilities, you might enjoy it more than you think.  Everyone here has something to lose if this becomes public knowledge, so no one is going to narc on you for this little escapade.  If it makes you feel better, I could cast oblivate on the lot of them, they're so burnt that they'd never even know the difference."  

"Oh, yeah, curse everyone, because that would just make things _sooo_ much better.  Draco, if I get expelled for this – "

"Then I'd be deprived of your lovely visage, not to mention sparkling intellect," he quickly cut her off, smirking.  "You need to relax and trust me just a little bit.  You are, after all, one of the very few people here even worth speaking to.  If you can't bring yourself to believe I wouldn't let you get expelled for your sake, then by now you should, at least, know I wouldn't allow it for my own purely selfish reasons."  Hermione rolled her eyes at the arrogance inherent in his argument, not even knowing where to begin to verbally take him down.  

Draco reached out to grab the pipe Justin passed to him, and with a warning glance to Hermione, released her to light it up.  Taking a moment to chill out, he let the smoke and music surround them, creating an almost invisible wall between them and the others, leaving them in their own world.  She contemplated breaking free, but really what was the point?  It seemed to be her lot in life to get dragged around into potentially suspension, if not expulsion, worthy activities and if there was one lesson she learned from hanging out with Harry and Ron was that when you were already involved the best thing you could do was to try and minimize the damage.  

Flipping out at Draco in public, as much as she'd enjoy it at this particular moment, would only draw more attention, so she decided to get him back and more later on, when he would least expect it.  Looking at him, she smiled to herself, at this rate, she'd own him before this was over.  He took a long drag and looked at her suspiciously, there was a certain gleam in her eye that might prove to be dangerous, but he was always up for a challenge.      

Draco felt the harsh smoke fill his mouth and lungs as he held it, fighting the impulse to cough it out, until he couldn't hold it any longer and exhaled a large plume of smoke.  He leaned back, pulling Hermione with him as the conversations around them faded indistinctly with the music into a low background static.  From experience, he knew that he wouldn't have long to wait before it kicked in and he took another hit.  "Wanna smoke up, Hermione?  It won't kill you, I promise."

She rolled her eyes at the question, before quickly leaning in to whisper in his ear.  "I don't give into peer pressure, besides I want to be sober when I get you for this later, so I'll remember every last detail," and sweetly smiled at him when he arched an eyebrow up in surprise.  

"Promises, promises . . ." he chided her with an indulgent smile, "and after that build up, I'm almost inclined to let you."

"Ha!  Considering your condition, I doubt that you'll be able to stop me.  Be afraid, Draco, be very afraid."

Smirking, he laughed, commenting dryly, "not that I'm worried in the slightest, but it might be fun to watch you give it your best shot."

"Just wait for it, Draco, just wait."

"Oh trust me, I wouldn't want to miss this."  

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't," she yawned, closing her eyes against the smoke.

Leaning back, he felt the drug begin to gradually take effect, the tight feeling in his chest slowly began to loosen and he was finally able to breathe freely, without pain for the first time since his encounter with his father.  Running his hand along her arm, he could feel relax under his touch, as she made herself comfortable in the circle of his arms, her head drowsily resting in the hollow of his shoulder.   "Hey there, you're not going to fall asleep on me are you?"  He nudged her gently with his shoulder.

"Yeah, sure.  Why not?  It's been a rough day all around, I think."  Hermione didn't even open her eyes, but just reached out to pull his robe more snugly around her.

His mouth quirked up into a half smile as he debated his options, "hey, Hermione?"  

"What Draco?"  He quickly took a deep drag off the pipe, refusing to answer.

"Draco . . . "  Hermione opened one bleary eye in irritation, only to gasp in surprise as she watched his lips lower to capture her own, in a hot and hungry kiss.  Her sudden shock worked against her, as he released his lungful of smoke in her unsuspecting mouth, giving her no chance to escape.  He securely held her hands at the wrists, in anticipation of her resistance, making her efforts to push him off and away from her absolutely useless.  After waiting a moment to ensure that she inhaled at least most of the smoke, he pulled back enough to let her catch her breath as she broke out coughing.  Twisting away from the careless smirk on his face, Hermione took a deep breath of fresh air, or at least the freshest air she could find in this place.

"You fucking bastard!  What the hell was that?"  She sputtered out, one hand wildly arcing to try and land a punch, still refusing to look at him.  

Reaching out with a finger under her chin, he easily caught her fist and pulled her around to face him, ignoring the resistance he could feel in her body.  "That," he drawled out slowly, "was called a shotgun.  Just a little bit of pot, barely a real hit, certainly nothing that will hurt you, babe, I promise."  His eyes lit up in amusement, knowing full well that there were few things he enjoyed more than baiting her, each word designed to push her right to that edge.  "Come on, Hermione, be bad with me.  You know you want to . . . "  His words drifted down to her ear, husky and low, tempting her to cross that ever-blurring gray line.  She rolled her eyes, knowing better than to look him in the eye.

"You are a highly corrupting influence, you know that."  She grumbled, shaking her head.  Even when he pissed her off beyond belief, he always knew just how to find how a way to redeem himself and that fact really annoyed her.  She fought to retain her anger, knowing all along it that is was an already lost battle, the most she could try for at this point was to, at least, maintain the facade of being annoyed – no need to give him the complete advantage, after all.

"Well, I'd hope so.  You should know better than to think I'd let all my efforts with you to go to waste."  He slid his hand through her hair, drawing her closer and forcing her to look at him.

"Dare I ask?"  Despite her best intentions, her voice sounded more seductive than the sarcasm she was aiming, complete with a challenge that she couldn't quite bring herself to suppress.       

Draco arched an eyebrow as if contemplating whether to pursue that particular line of conversation, but after a brief glance around, he appeared to rethink it and instead quirked up a corner of his mouth.  "So wanna a drag then?"  He gave her an overly exaggerated leer, waving the pipe in front of her face.  When she refused, giving him an exasperated look, he wasn't surprised.  Taking a quick hit, he realized the pipe was kicked and abruptly tossed to it to an unsuspecting Justin, hitting him in the head.  Urging Hermione to her feet, he stood up, ignoring the outcry from the others including the especially loud one from Justin.  "Come on, this place is dead and we've got better things to do anyway," and he imperiously held out his hand for her to take.

Hermione stared at him, before shrugging her shoulders, because it wasn't like she had any desire to hang around here.  "Whatever," she breathed out, lacing her fingers in his own.  Just as suddenly as they arrived, he whisked her out of the room into the fresh air outside in the hallway.  "So now where are we going?"  She watched him with a critical eye as he all too casually leaned against the stonewall.

"I don't particularly care."  His voice was slightly strained.  Standing up so abruptly, and, hell, just walking around was taking more of effort than he cared to think about.  The pot _had_ eased the majority of pain from the Cruicus, thankfully, but he was still feeling weaker than he should and trying to keep Hermione from realizing that was even more draining for him.

"Hmmmm, it _is_ getting late.  Maybe we should just go back to your room and get out of sight, before anyone comes walking around here."  Her fingers tightened around his when he stood back and tried to shake his hand free.  You couldn't tell by looking at him, unless you looked carefully at his eyes, they had darkened again to that dull iron color that she had only seen before when he'd nearly collapsed in the closet after his father left, but she could feel the slight tremor of his hand and that, she admitted to herself, worried her.  She had to bite back her smile when she saw his eyes brighten a bit when he registered her words.

"I thought that was off limits," his eyes narrowed slightly, as his head tilted curiously, wondering what she so intently saw in him.

Hermione sighed.  If he figures out that she thinks that he needs to lie down, she was sure that in typical Draco fashion, he'd stubbornly thwart her and make himself worse.  What she really needed was some way to distract him enough to get him into bed . . .  Shaking her head, she decided not to reflect too long on the implications of that dangerous thought, as she lightly blushed.  Realizing that Draco was still waiting for a reply, she quickly blurted out, "yeah, well . . . it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind.  Are you seriously going to argue with me _against_ it?"

Draco coughed weakly, trying to cover his surprised laughter.  "When you put it that way . . . nope, not all.  In fact, I suggest we go right now."  He quickly began tugging her hand as he started off towards his room, adding under his breath, "yeah, like right now, before you change your mind on me," and missed her slight smile as she followed him down the hall.

Reaching the spot where Hermione found the secret door, they walked into his room at last and Draco fell backwards on the bed, pulling Hermione down with him.  Turning to look her in the eye, his free hand trailed along her face, finally reaching her chin and his thumb lightly rubbed the sensitive curve of her lower lip.  Sighing at the sensation, Hermione unconsciously opened her lips slightly, giving him the invitation he'd been waiting for to slip his finger into the moist heat of her mouth.  

Lingering along the soft inside edge, Draco waited until her mouth closed and he felt the slight tug of suction and he slid his thumb deeper, past the blunt edge of her lower front teeth and he could feel them scrape against the pad of his thumb.  The corner of his lips raised in a faint smile, before he propped himself up an elbow to rise above her, pulling his finger out into the cooler air and sliding down to encircle her neck, his wet thumb now resting again the hollow of her throat.  Under his touch, he could feel the vibration as she began to speak and his smile grew a fraction.

"Ummm Draco, when I said to come back to your room . . . " Hermione's voice trailed off slightly, unsure of exactly how to proceed.  This was the very situation that she had been so intent on avoiding earlier this evening, but considering what she had learned since them, she could easily find herself making rationalizations for his somewhat extreme behavior.  But even with that knowledge, she needed time to process all of this in her head, and besides, whatever he might believe and whatever he wanted _her_ to think, she was fairly certain that he was in no state for her to allow him to continue.  "Well, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

He broke out into a full-blown smirk, "well, this is certainly what I had in mind," and he fully settled himself on top of her, his lips moving along the side of her neck, alternating kissing her and lightly nibbling.  

Ruefully she laughed, "yeah, but I think this is what you _always_ have in mind."

Between kisses, he lightly breathed, "and what is wrong with that, pray tell?"  His words ghosting along her throat like a light electric current, sparking on contact with her skin. 

"Ummmm," She struggled to think clearly, biting her bottom lip while her hands rose to grip his shoulders.  "Nothing, but I . . . ahhhh," she gasped out as he began to grow bolder.  She closed her eyes, fully aware that once again, she'd have marks on her neck tomorrow morning.  "But I just don't think that this is a very good time," even as she arched her neck to give him better access, before she remembered his condition and reluctantly pushed him blindly off of her and to the side.  However, Draco was undeterred and simply rolled onto his back, pulling her along with him.  Hermione's eyes opened widely to see his face suddenly go white with pain and he flinched as she abruptly landed on his chest.

"Oh my God, Draco.  I am _so_ sorry.  Are you ok?"  She scrambled off him, practically jumped to the side, where she had been before, her hands lightly running over the cotton of his shirt, pushing his robe aside, as she tried to determine the exact nature and location of his injuries.  Draco gritted his teeth, as he roughly brushed her hands away and pulled himself up to a sitting position, leaning heavily against the headboard of his bed, his breathing sounding harsh to her ears.  So he obviously didn't want her to touch him, Hermione thought to herself, pulling back and tucking her legs underneath her.  It was probably better off, she decided absently, God only knew what else she might accidentally do.   

The last thing she had _ever_ intended was to hurt him but this latest incident was the second time tonight that he had been in pain because her and fear was suddenly eclipsed by anger, but she couldn't decide who she was more upset with – herself for hurting him, or him for being so damn reckless.  Hermione clenched her fist in his blanket, knowing her anger was little better than her fear and fully aware that neither emotion was particularly helpful at this moment.  She closed her eyes, striving for a neutral state of detachment and opened them a moment later, noting that he was almost as pale as when she first saw him in the closet.  His hand was lightly probing a rib and she clearly saw him wincing.  

"That's it Draco, I don't care what you have to say, I'm reporting this to someone.  You've been trying to pretend you're fine and I stupidly let it slide, because I thought you knew what you're doing, when it's more than obvious that you don't.  Maybe you really are that damn irresponsible, but I refuse to stand by and watch you in pain like this any longer, idiot."

He raised his eyes to her and amazingly enough she could see a faint smile on his tightly drawn lips and it infuriated her.  Taking a moment to wrap an arm around his ribs, he gave an ironic and obviously painful laugh.  "Sorry Hermione, didn't know you cared that much."

The mild sarcasm in his voice was enough to set her off again.  He "didn't know" that she cared?  What exactly the _fuck_ did he think she was doing here?!?!  She usually wasn't one to commit acts of violence, but if he wasn't already injured, she didn't think that she'd be able to restrain herself, since she was already exercising a serious amount of control over her temper.  She settled for a low growl of frustration, which got his attention, as he looked at her in sudden surprise, his smile widening slightly, before it vanished as if he just noticed it and had thought better of the impulse.

Raising his free hand in peace, he tried to calm her down.  "Ok, so maybe that was a bit uncalled for."  

Maybe?  Her eyes narrowed impatiently as she watched him like he was a pinned butterfly that was trying to break free of its bonds.

"I don't deal particularly well with weakness of any kind, in case you haven't noticed."  He shrugged his shoulders ironically, "but there is no need for you to go running off unchecked, I'm used to taking care of shit like this on my own.  I might be 'irresponsible' and even an 'idiot,' but I'm not stupid.  I know what's best for me and while I may not like it, I'll do what needs to be done."  His voice was back to that cool and impassive tone that made him seem so distant and never failed to drive her insane, she really wanted something or someone to lash out against at this moment.

"Good.  Then let's go to Madame Pomprey's, _together_."  She deliberately emphasized the last word, unable to believe that it was going to be this easy, not if she knew Draco half as well as she thought she did.  She was almost satisfied in an admittedly perverse way when the expected objection was voiced.

"No."  The single word fell heavily between them and hung there for a moment and she stared at him a sort of horrified fascination, waiting with an unbearable anticipation.  She wasn't disappointed. "Not a chance in hell."  He was terse, his words laden with nerve-racking sense of tension.  "Didn't you listen to a word I said back in the observatory?  I _can't_ go to Madame Pomprey."  Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he turned his back to her as he stiffly rose to his feet and walked to the dresser to pick up a half empty pack of cigarettes.  

He pulled off his robe and tee shirt and tossed them carelessly on the floor.  Taking his time, he lit a cigarette, only raising his eyes to meet hers in the distorted image of the mirror.  She gasped, his skin was drawn tight against his cheekbones and in the shadows of the room he looked almost dangerously translucent.  His back shuddered painfully with every breath he took and she could see the bruises liberally scattered across his chest and stomach.  It almost seemed like they were back in the observatory and she felt all the fear she had forced herself into forgetting come rushing back.  How could he have so silently endured it without her knowing the extent of his injuries, she wondered to herself, choosing to ignore her guilt in this away for now, she'd deal with that on her own later.  There was no way she could walk away, as if she'd ever seriously considered it before, she was absolutely certain now.

"Fine, not Madame Pomprey then, but we're going to see someone and I don't give a fuck who, Draco!  If you force me into it, then I _will_ fucking Stupdify you.  Choose who you want to go to, but believe me, we're going to see someone tonight."  Her voice was tight with her repressed emotions, as she fished her wand out of her pocket and held it outstretched in a trembling hand. "Maybe you've had no choice but to take care of yourself by yourself, but if you haven't noticed, then here's your news flash, you're not alone anymore Draco."  She wavered, her voice almost breaking.

Turning his head slightly, he saw the gleam of unshed tears in her eyes and fought not to flinch against the sight.  Breaking eye contact, he took a deep and measured drag.  "You don't know what you're saying, Hermione.  You really don't."  The soft and husky tone of his voice steadied her slightly, even as his words hurt, although the fact that he hadn't outright rejected her yet, merely stiffened her resolve.

"Maybe not, but I'm not leaving, either.  Much as you might want to, you can't force me or scare me away, so you'd best learn to deal with it. "

"Determined, aren't we?"  His head was tilted downward as he took another drag and he let his hair fall forward, effectively obscuring his expression from her eyes.  She held her breath, waiting for his response either way, because she knew it would be definitive in their relationship.  Whatever it was that was happening between them, the events of today would determine if he was ever going to really let her in and for the first time she acknowledged to herself that she wanted in.  Whatever this was, she wanted it, she wanted more.  

"You know, there comes a time, where you can't change your mind anymore, when you've made your choice and there is no turning back," he spoke slowly, deliberately.  "That time is coming, Hermione.  You think that you want this, when you don't even really know what is going on and that isn't like you.  You've lost your perspective and that is probably more my fault than yours."  He hesitated for a moment.  "I haven't done a very good job of protecting you and things are going to get far worse, before they get better, assuming that is even possible," his voice became cynical as he shook his head briefly in disgust.  

She opened her mouth to reply, but he waved his hand at her.  "Let me finish this.  You shouldn't get involved," a sarcastic bark of what might have been laughter escaped him, "and I know that you probably won't listen to me, but I am serious."  Sighing, he took another long drag of his cigarette, playing for time.  He ran his hand impatiently through his hair, brushing it off his face as he finally turned to face her.  "Luckily for you that time isn't tonight," he graced her with his usual smirk, but it lacked the matching sparkle in his eyes, emphasizing the emptiness she could see just under the surface, " but it is coming, Hermione and as much as I might want to, there's nothing I can do to stop it.  Before you make any decisions, for your own sake, you should really think before you throw your lot in with mine."  

In his head, Draco added the words that he was still unable to bring himself to tell her, namely the fact that if she choose him, he wasn't sure he'd be able to force himself to ever let her go again.  Yeah, because if he hasn't managed to freak her out yet that would probably do it and he viciously stubbed out his cigarette as the silence between them felt like a hot knife against his already sensitive nerve endings.  He wearily rubbed his eyes wondering where this started going all wrong, because it had to have started somewhere – whatever the fuck he was doing, he seriously doubted this was the way to get the girl.

"For the record, I don't need to be protected," and he scoffed mentally at that inanity, lacking the energy to argue the point that she had no fucking IDEA what she was talking about and that is she did, like any intelligent person, she'd likely be running in the opposite direction from him, when he realized that she was still talking.  "And furthermore, you still haven't decided who to go to for treatment and if you think I'll be forgetting _that_ anytime soon, you really are an idiot."  Oh Merlin protect them all, she was using transitional words, now he must be _really_ in trouble.  Stifling the absurd impulse to laugh, he grabbed his discarded shirt, still bloody and pulled it back on.  At this point he knew that he was reaching the last of his reserves and was bordering on outright hysteria brought on by a complete sense of exhaustion and his well-known vanity was thrown out the window along with his usual well-honed paranoia.

"Awww, fuck it.  I assume you're not going to let this drop anytime soon," barely waiting for her rhetorical stare and he actually broke out into loud burst of laughter, "well, in that case, let's have some fun with this."  Grabbing his wand, he tossed her a cloak, "put this on," and weaved his way unsteadily over to the door and began undoing the series of deadbolt locks on it.

"Draco," she hissed, slamming the door he had just thrown open back shut, throwing all the weight of her slight frame against it.  "Are you _insane_? I can't walk through Slytherin's dorm at this hour, especially not with you covered in blood!  They'll lynch me on sight."   

"Oh ye of little faith," and he actually had the audacity to laugh again.  "If you'd put the damned cloak on, you'd see why it'd be perfectly safe.  Since my father knows, it's not like I've got much to fucking hide anyway.  Fuck him," he shrugged his shoulders, apparently unconcerned.  "Fuck'em all.  They'd have to get though me anyway and few, if any of them, would even dare.  Besides this is the quickest way to where we're going."  He turned back to look her in the eye.  "And hey, this was your brilliant idea, I voted for just staying here, remember?"

Ducking his disturbing gaze, Hermione quickly slipped the clock on, only to confirm, as she had already guessed that it _was_ an Invisibility cloak.  Moving out of the way, she let Draco lead her out into the Slytherin dorm.  Despite the fact that she had only heard of it from Harry and Ron, she was rather oblivious to her surroundings and much more focused on the unnatural brightness she could see in Draco's eyes.  If she was right and it was all but a virtual certainty at this point that house favorite or not, their potion's professor was not going to thrilled to see Draco in his current state, never mind the hour.  And although he had seemed to ease off her lately, she was more than glad she was wearing Draco's cloak, maybe they'd be able to get through this without both of them failing the course.

Despite how erratic he was behaving physically, she was relieved and alternately concerned by his seemingly unerring ability to navigate his way through the dark dungeon to a door that was all too familiar to her.  Reaching out to knock on it, she was surprised when Draco caught her hand, as it suddenly appeared, apparently limbless in midair.  Hermione shot him a dirty look that he ignored until she remembered she was invisible, after all, and instead whispered, "what?"

He whispered back, "I said, let's have some fun, right?  Well, this isn't fun, yet," his smirk sent waves of dismay running down her spine.   She wasn't sure what his idea of "fun" entailed, but had a sneaking suspicion that Snape wouldn't agree with it.  Tugging her by the hand, Draco led her around the corner to another door, tucked away in a small alcove.  She gave him a questioning look, almost afraid to ask him where it led to, fairly confident that in the long run, she'd prefer to be able to plead ignorance.  Giving her a reckless sidelong glance, he quickly flicked his wand, whispered a faint, "alahora," and flung open the door without any warning, only to immediately slam it shut.

Collapsing against the door, Hermione slumped, her head resting against it, a look of horror on her face.  "Oh God, I _think_ I might be ill.  If I never have to see that again, I'll die a very happy girl." 

Draco, on the other hand, broke out into a bout of uncontrollable laughter.  "But did you see who he was with?"  She just stared at him, almost afraid to ask, and he smirked.  "Oh, but that was the best part.  He was with your new Arithmancy professor."  Draco absently shook his head, "hmmm, and I didn't even know that they knew each other.  .  .  "  

~~~~~~~~~~~

Paused in mid-stroke, Snape braced himself above Infinity, the slam of the door echoing through the room. "Tell me that wasn't who I thought it was."

Shrugging her shoulders, Infinity faintly smiled up at him, "sorry, but it was both of them actually."  

Lowering himself until his forehead lightly touched hers, he released a heavy sigh.   "Fuck.  .  .  Didn't I just get finished telling you _not_ to tell me that?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

TBC

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if I didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you.  Don't forget reviews are like candy & I'm nothing if not a sugar addict. So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)

However if you are "You Only Wish You Knew Me" {my first flame} & you're reading this {{{smirking}}} I'd just like you to know that I am still laughing at you.


	25. Just Another Night at Hogwarts

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. This chapter is part 3 in what started as an absurdly long chapter, now broken up into 3. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;) . She deserves a special cookie for putting up with my constant questions on the last scene in this chapter, lol. And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Anyway, let's skip anymore of the AN & get back into the story . . .

Chapter 25 – Just Another Night at Hogwarts

A few minutes later after hastily throwing on their clothes, Infinity & Snape only slightly red-faced, opened the door, quickly shooing in the two teenagers into the room. Sitting down on a pair of chairs, Hermione kept her eyes glued to the floor, completely at a loss of words. Really, what could you say at a time like this? Draco, on the other hand, couldn't stop himself from snickering occasionally.

"Enough, Mr Malfoy." Snape ground out the words, still trying to maintain some semblance of authority.

He only smirked in reaction.

Listening to what he suspected was a highly abbreviated version of the nights earlier events, Snape stared at him for a long moment, taking into account his glassy and bloodshot eyes, before swearing violently under his breath. "The stupidity of youth never ceases to astound me," his words were crisply enunciated so that no one, especially Draco, would mistake his anger. "I know damn well that you are fully aware of the consequences of your actions and if you are deliberately trying to kill yourself, than I'd appreciate you doing it on your time."

Draco scoffed, "I wouldn't have guessed you to be such an alarmist. Considering everything else going on around here, the fact that I indulged a bit isn't a reason to hit the panic button."

"'Everything else'," the older man bit out," is exactly the problem, if you had been unfortunate enough to encounter your father or any one of his 'associates' in your present state, you'd be hard pressed to defend yourself in any way and that degree of irresponsibility is inexcusable."

Draco slumped lower in his chair. "Whatever. You know I can take care of myself, I know you're trying to show off for your bird and I don't appreciate being used to do it."

Resisting his impulse to ground his teeth at the all too characteristic behavior in the younger man, he forced himself to remember that despite the attitude Draco was still just an injured teenager. Snape gave Infinity a significant glance. "Hmmm, perhaps this would be a good time for Professor Owens to take Miss Granger to the Gryfindor Tower?"

"Don't be so paranoid, I said she wasn't involved. I made sure he didn't see her, so relax."

Snape turned to give him an examining stare, before he shook his head wearily and he sat back down on the bed. "Do I even want to know why she was there?"

Draco smirked, brushing a few tendrils of hair back and off his face, "look, it wasn't like I planned this out or anything. When Lucius showed up, I made sure she was safe and out of sight, before I dealt with him. What else do you want from my life?"

"Don't tempt me . . . " Snape retorted under his breath, before asking, "well, what was it this time?"

"Cructius, of course," was the immediate reply. In an off-handed and almost bored tone of voice, Draco added for Infinity's benefit, "it's one of my father's particularly favorite curses when he wants to remind of my place in this world." Both women felt a chill run up their spines at the casualness of his words. Infinity, knowing the short and long term effects of the Cructius curse from harsh personal experience was especially disturbed. Snape just sighed, wishing not for the first time that he was wrong, as he got up to retrieve the Sedo Versum potion that he had already prepared. Crossing the room, he handed it to Draco.

"Did he at least give you any information that I should pass on? "

"To the order? Nope, just the usual threats." Draco glanced at the bottle for a moment, absently reading the label before slipping it into his pocket. Standing up he shrugged his shoulders. "He did seem a bit on edge, so something is definitely up, but I've got nothing specific to report."

Hermione gave him a sharp look, but he just arched an eyebrow in response. He held out a hand to help her out of her seat, before turning back to Infinity and Snape, "have fun tonight," and smirked, leading Hermione out of the room.

"Ummm, good night," Hermione offered with a quick wave and an uncertain smile pasted on her face, before Draco slammed the door shut behind them.

Infinity's head fell foward, "well, ok that was _awkward_. Just out of curiosity, do people regularly barge into your room whenever they like? Is this something I should be concerned about?"

Snape turned and gave her a very dry look that spoke volumes. "I'll pick up a new lock tomorrow at Hogsmead."

-----------

Back in Draco's room, Hermione collapsed on the bed. "Well, that was certainly . . . interesting." Draco smirked at her as he measured out a portion of the Sedo Versum potion, before he swallowed, making a slight grimace at the bitter taste. "I've got to say Draco, hanging out with you is never boring."

Stretching out on the bed next to her, he laughed. "Well, I try not to disappoint."

Leaning on her side, Hermione studied his face, glad to see him looking more relaxed and back to his normal shade of pale since the encounter with his father earlier in the day. "And now you have some explaining to do."

Draco turned his head to face her, sardonically arching an eyebrow with a faint smile gracing his lips. He could only imagine the sort of questions going though her all too intelligent mind and that only meant trouble for him. He was also aware that he really wasn't in any shape to create a series of fictional answers that would be believable enough to satisfy her, not to mention the fact that he was growing tired of the ever-growing web of deceit that was his life. On top of everything else, the Sedo Versum potion was rapidly turning what was left of his brain into mush. "Whatever do you mean?"

Hermione propped herself up upon one elbow, "don't play coy with me Draco, it doesn't suit you. I want to know about you, Snape and the order."

He sighed. "Ahhh, Hermione, I can always count on you to ask the big questions."

"Just as I can always rely on you to try and avoid answering them," she shot back.

He rolled onto his back. "Snape's in the order, but you already know that. Theoretically his specialty is deatheaters, working as a double agent, gathering intell on their movements, strengths and weaknesses, etc but his creditability has been shot to hell since our first year." At her look of surprise, Draco scoffed, "oh come on, Hermione, I would have expected you of all people to have figured that out by now. Opposing Quirrell, when he had Voldemort on the back of his head and saving Saint Potter during that bloody Quidditch match, didn't exactly endear him to the deatheaters, you know."

"So what does that have to do with you?" She was already half expecting the answer she received, but her words were still layered with a certain note of disbelief.

Draco shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes, refusing to meet hers. For a long moment, he debated where to go with this – tell her the truth and risk her derision and then what if she **actually** believed him or just lie off his ass, as was his natural inclination. Ehhh, what the fuck, why not? "Well, where do you think Snape gets his info from?"

Hermione braced herself up on her free arm, half lifting her body up above his prone figure to stare down at him. "You?!?! You're giving Snape and the order information on the deatheaters?" Try as she might, she was unable to keep her sudden shock out of her voice.

Opening one eye, Draco peered up at her wryly. "Hmmm, I'm not exactly sure if I should take that as an insult or a strange backwards compliment."

"Ummm, a compliment, definitely a compliment. I . . . I _never_ would have guessed, Draco." She stammered out, struggling to assimilate this new information into her ever-expanding perception of him, because just when she thought she understood him, he exposed another shadowy piece of his soul.

Draco frowned slightly as he watched her expression begin to rapidly change and he damn well knew what that meant – she was thinking again and only Merlin knew what wild theories she was concocting at this moment. "Look, before you get any ideas, remember my loving father," his voice grew sharp with sarcasm, "lives for the power and intrigue his position affords him. Any sabotage and havoc I can create is it's own pleasure."

Hermione didn't even attempt to hide her delighted smile and seeing it Draco winced in dismay, fighting the impulse to smack himself in the head. The last thing he needs is to have her thinking he was some sort of good guy, this was almost as bad as having her convinced that he was a proven deatheater. Draco mentally cursed his wayward tongue. The worst part was, of course, that he knew better to get involved in this conversation when he was still so fucked up and patently unable to think straight. Sighing, he sat up, "look, it's getting really late now, Hermione, and I need to crash soon, so it might be a good time for you to sneak back to your room." He picked up a folder off his nightstand and held it out to her, "these are the notes I was telling you about earlier, I figure you can look them over and then let me know what you think, ok? Take the cloak, just in case, but you should be fine."

She laughed. "I never thought, I'd see the day when Draco Mafoy, bad boy extraordinaire, would kick a girl out of his room after hours."

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up, but considering that I'm in no shape for more interesting activities, it seems to be the smartest option." Bracing himself up on one arm, he leaned over her, dropping a light kiss on her unsuspecting lips.

-----------

Walking back to her dorm, wearing Draco's invisibility cloak, her mind was awhirl with her thoughts, flitting from one memory to the next, seemingly unable to focus on just one as she felt a desperate need to try and understand this man who was increasingly becoming so central in her life. Reaching her door, she suddenly tumbled to her knees, the hood of the cloak falling to her shoulders and lightly touched her bruised temple, sharply inhaling at the pain. In the back of her mind, she registered the all too familiar outcry she heard behind her, as she instead settled herself, Indian style, on the stone floor. Reluctantly, she forced herself to look up at the now visible figure of Harry, who was currently rubbing his thigh. "I suppose that you, at the very least, have a good reason to be sitting outside my room at this hour, invisible, no less?" She made no effort to hide her irritation with him - it was late, she was tired and he was the last person she wanted to see at this moment.

"Me? What the hell are you doing out so late? And where did you get that cloak of invisibility from or do I even have to ask?" Harry stood up, looming over in a stance that he knew could be considered intimidating, especially combined with his tone of voice, but he couldn't stop the hateful words pouring from his mouth. "You were with him, weren't you?!?" He sounded bitter, he knew, but in his confused anger all he could see were visions of her with _him_ and it was enough to drive him insane.

Sighing, Hermione ran her hand through her hand, "Harry, what do you want from me? Do you even know? What I do on my time has nothing to do with you, especially since you've made it more than clear that I'm irrelevant in your life. And now you think you can what - dictate who I spend my time with, when you wanted nothing to do with me in months? I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way." She rose to her feet at a loss for what to say to him.

Harry saw her ready to leave and almost snapped, he didn't know how to stop her, only that it was suddenly vital to his existence that he did, because he didn't know what he would do if she left. "That's not true, Hermione, things have just been crazy and out of control, lately. You should know how important you are to me, how important you've always been."

She shook her head, "maybe I was, once, a long time ago, but face it, Harry, if you hadn't seen me with Draco, would you _really_ be here, arguing with me? I mean come on, even before you and Ron took off without me on this last stupid mission, you've been ignoring me for months, only deigning to speak to me when you needed my help for something and up to now, I've allowed you to get away with it. You don't get to suddenly change your mind and be my best friend, now that you see me finally moving on."

He stared at her, almost unable to comprehend what she was saying, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew there were words, things he could say to persuade her listen to him, but they refused to surface. She was drifting out of reach, right in front of him, and he didn't know how to stop her – this couldn't be happening! Anger began to well up inside of him, it was irrational, he knew, but he was beginning not to care. He looked at her and for a long moment and all he could see was _him,_ his hand unconsciously slid down into his pocket, wrapping tightly around his wand and he pulled it out in one smooth motion. Hermione's eyes widened as she watched his face twist into something ugly and unfamiliar and began backing away from him as he waved his wand. There had been many times in the past when she had been afraid for Harry, but this was the first time when she'd ever been afraid _of_ him.

"Harry . . . " Hermione's voice was hesitant, as she mentally scrambled to try and figure out a way to smooth over this potential situation. She couldn't bring herself to believe that he would actually hurt her, but with the unpredictable way he was acting, she didn't want to take unnecessary risks either. "Put your wand down, please." Changing tactics, she tried to subtly take out her own wand, only to freeze as he shook his head menacingly, sighing she raised her hands peacefully and took a step towards him. "Harry, what are you doing? Are you really going to curse me?"

"Curse you? No, but you _are_ going to listen to me and if you insist on making me force you to listen then I will. Dammit, Hermione, you owe me that much at the very fucking least." He jerked his wand back so that it was no longer pointing directly at her.

"Wait a minute, I owe you, since when? Are you out of your bloody mind? You lied to me, betrayed me, pretended you were dead, left me with that guilt and yet I somehow owe you?" Hermione couldn't believe he was serious and Harry winced, because when she put it that way, it did sound bad, but she just refused to let him explain, so it wasn't like she was entirely off the hook either. He opened his mouth to tell her that, but she cut him off. "I'm not going to stand here and argue this with you. So why don't you find your precious girlfriend and whine to her? Because I'm through here." Brushing past him, Harry grabbed her arm. Hermione clenched her fist and was ready to swing when she heard - .

"Hey, is there a problem here?" Hermione turned with a grateful smile to see Seamus with one arm propped against the far wall, the other relaxing in a loose grip at his side, slightly behind them, half leaning, half standing, somewhat slumped, but apparently ready to intercede if necessary.

"No problem here, Seamus. We're got some stuff to discuss, so just walk away." Harry ground out, his hand subtly tightening on her arm and she winced, fully aware that she would have a bruise later on tonight.

"Sorry, Harry, but I can't do that. I'm not going to pretend or demand to know what's going on, it's none of my business, but I can't just ignore this, either. Whatever you've got 'to discuss' it can wait until tomorrow." His voice was surprisingly steady, considering his intense reluctance to get involved. The last thing he needed was to get stuck in the crossfire between Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger and Harry bloody Potter, but at the same time he knew he would be able to sleep tonight if he didn't do something, besides if Draco found out he might never get to sleep again.

Harry gave him a hard stare, before looking back down at Hermione's face. "Don't think for a minute that this is over. One way or another you _are_ going to listen to me," and he shook her arm for emphasis, before stalking off.

Rubbing her arm slightly, she turned to Seamus, "thanks, things were getting . . a little weird there."

"Weird," he paused on the word, almost like he was tasting the flavor of it, "yeah, well that's one way of putting it, I suppose. Anyway, I owed you – from earlier tonight, I mean, I was being an ass. Ummm, I've never really been one to give advice, Hermione, but I hope you know what you're doing with this, because I don't know about you, but from where I'm standing it looks like things could get very messy." He shrugged his shoulders, pushing himself off the wall as he waked past her, dropping his head. A couple of feet away, he stopped somewhat uncertainly, "just . . . l don't know, just be careful, I guess." His voice was hushed in the silence and he didn't bother turning around, but continued down the hall. Hermione watched him for a moment, before letting herself into her room and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

-----------

Not everyone, however, was quite so lucky. Draco sat up resting against the wall, seemingly oblivious to the thick layers of dirt and grime on the floor, knees drawn up against his chest and his body folded inward, the thin worn tee shirt and jeans doing little to protect him from the bone chilling cold. His hair hung loosely around his face; his eyes closed, a study in concentration, as he tried desperately to fight the fear rising steadily within him. He knew this room all too well, and the fact that his wand was nowhere in sight and he was dressed in his usual muggle clothes he wore when he was only relatively safe at Hogwarts meant this 'session' was going to be especially bad. Then he heard the footsteps, exactingly precise like a metronome, a harbinger of what was to come, but the direction seemed to waver, then the voices started. It was always the same, this is how it always began.

"Stupid boy, doesn't know his place."

"He'll wind up dead, just like that dead sister of his, neither of them was ever worth anything, anyway."

"You're all alone now, boy, you're going to die all alone and you have no one to blame, but yourself."

Laughter rang out among the voices, the Malfoy mansion had more than it's share of vocal portraits, all willing and eager to have their chance to condemn him one last time. Draco's right hand, his empty wand hand, clenched reflectively, nails digging half moon cuts into the flesh of his palm, he never even felt the warm blood spill onto the floor next to him. Finally unable to resist, he snarled, "shut up! Shut up! Shut the FUCK _UP_!!!" The words were raw sounding and painfully harsh, as if they had ripped themselves bloody from his throat.

"Oh, you didn't really delude yourself into believing you could escape your fate, did you?"

"That'd be precious – if it wasn't so damned pathetic."

The voices grew louder, drowning out the ever-present steps. He closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands, oblivious of the bloody stains.

"Man, I hate to say it, but I'm glad I'm not you right now."

Draco's eyes flew open in confusion and he stared for a long moment at the figure casually standing next to him. "Seamus? What the hell are you _doing_ here?"

"Hey, I figured I'd pop in to see how you were holding up, but if you don't want me here, I can always leave – " His voice trailed off as he started to fade away.

"Wait, no, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant . . ." Draco struggled, trying to find a reasonable explanation for his presence here of all the god-forsaken corners of hell. "I meant what are you doing _here_, in Malfoy fucking mansion, in this fucking room. Do you even have any idea what Lucius would do to you if he found you here?"

"Yeah, I was meaning to tell you that – you and I, we - well we've never really been what'd you call friends, but we've always been relatively cool, but your father – damn! Draco, he's a bastard." Seamus's image seemed to sharpen in the dim lighting, as he looked around the room. "This place is fucking filthy, you know."

Draco actually cracked a wry smirk, "tell me something I don't know, like maybe why you're here, for starters?"

Seamus look up with a genuine smile, "oh, sorry, I forgot that you've been in here for awhile." His smile faded pensively, "being dead can do that to you."

"Dead?" Despite himself, Draco went white - he knew that he didn't want to hear anymore.

"Yep, I never even saw it coming, Avada Kedavraed right in the back by one of our own." The Gryffindor shook his head and looking more careful, Draco realized that he could easily see right through him. A chill went ran down his spine, as in a distant corner of his mind, he wondered he could have possibly not noticed that in the first place. Was he really that far gone?

"I'm . . . I'm sorry, Seamus, " despite his fumbling words, they were heartfelt. What else _did_ you say to the recently departed, what else could you say?

The ghost raised his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it, it's not why I came, I just wanted to say," he paused before bursting out with, "man, I wish you'd just told us. All this time, we hated you and you were on our side all along and none of us knew it. Meanwhile the person we thought we could trust was the traitor. It doesn't matter now 'cause we lost the war and everyone is dead, dying or about to die, but _damn_ Draco – it didn't have to be this way!!!".

"Everyone?!?!" His voice was bordering on panicked, but he had to know. "Where's Hermione?!?" Draco demanded franticly. Seamus' eyes opened wide at the question and he started to respond, but not fast enough as he began to fade out of existence. "No," Draco breathed, staring around the room in a stunned state of disbelief. "Seamus . . Seamus, GODDAMNIT! Get back here! You can't do this to me, goddamnit, you can't lay something like that on me and not tell me if SHE'S safe! What about Hermione?!?! Goddamnit Seamus, what about Hermione?!?" His eyes hardened dangerously into silvers of cold steel, as his fist moved of it's own volition, slamming into the stonewall with an explosive fury where he had last seen the ghost. He welcomed the intense pain. His forehead fell on the coolness of the wall, one hand braced flat far above his head, the other still bleeding against the stone, his rage temporarily leashed back under his unstable control.

Staring down at the floor, he was oblivious to the blood pooling near his foot, his vision was too blinded with images of her. He wanted to deny his all-consuming terror, wanted desperately to believe that she was safe, but knew too well how stubborn she was, knew too well that she would never run from the cause. As much as he needed to believe otherwise, he knew with a devastating certainty that she must be dead and that knowledge broke something deep inside of him. Numbly he slumped to the ground, nerveless fingers falling beside him. Distantly he could hear the footsteps, again, drawing ever closer, but it now lacked the power to truly penetrate his consciousness.

"He's coming, you know. If you don't get up, he _will _kill you this time." The voice came from somewhere above him, but Draco didn't bother to look, he didn't have to. Instead, he picked up his hand, idly wondering how many bones he broke, as he gave the raw flesh a perfunctory glance over.

"If I ask, you're going to tell me she's dead, aren't you?" His voice when he finally forced himself to speak was cool and detached. Unless you listened carefully, you'd never catch the faint trace of grief and desolation running through his words.

"Draco, we don't have time for this – " the voice urged him to his feet.

"Answer the fucking QUESTION, Snape!" His fiercely held control slipped and his voice was deathly low, as he unconsciously drew his fingers into a fist tight enough to reopen the half healed damage he'd already inflicted upon it. "Is she or isn't she dead?!?"

Looking down at the younger man, Snape's bruised face twisted into a mask of sorrow. "I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you, but if you're asking, then I have to say, yes, she is dead." The words were hushed, but that did nothing to lessen their impact, perhaps that made them even worse. It was as if by saying them, he had sucked whatever life left inside the room away. For one long moment the former professor thought that the boy's heart had suddenly stopped, he froze so very still. The room grew increasingly dark and dangerously oppressive, the walls seeming to be closing inward.

Draco nodded his head in acknowledgement and said nothing, there was nothing left to say. Starring at the ground, he realized that Snape was still talking, although he didn't fully understand why he bothered when it was more than obvious that there was no longer a point. He didn't have a wand, even if he wanted to, there was nothing he _could_ do. So in the grand scheme of things, whether or not his father successfully managed to kill him this time seemed almost irrelevant. When he eventually looked up, he noticed Snape was gone and the walls were closing in and shrugged his shoulders carelessly. It took much effort to give a damn one way or another, he forgotten that lesson once before and had been punished beyond belief for it. And meanwhile, the steps grew louder and ominously closer . . .

"ding dong, the witch is dead

ding dong, the bitch is dead

just another one you couldn't save"

Great, now they were singing. . . and badly at that. "You could at least be a little more creative, you know, you dead bastards." He yelled out bitterly. The small room grew smaller, not that he particularly cared, dying of suffocation was probably a better way to go, anyway, but he could definitely have gone without the bloody Greek chorus from Hades. Absently, he checked his pockets for a pack of smokes, only to break out into an impressive cursing streak when he realized that he had cigarettes, but no implement of fire – the height of futility.

Feeling a sight breeze, he noticed that a fairy substantial portion of the floor had suddenly vanished, leaving only a narrow L – shaped strip, which he was sitting on, if he stretched out his legs they would easily dangle down into the abyss. Leaning down slightly, the darkness stretched out for what seemed like forever and for all he knew, maybe it did. This was the lower basement level, but with his family history and that of this house, very little would surprise him. He was, however, started by the voice that came from the darkness.

"Give up Draco, once again, you failed, it seems to be your lot in life." The voice seemed to sigh, before taking on a more familiar and resigned tone. "Ahhh, Mr Malfoy, here we find ourselves again. It's ok, my boy, it's ok to just let go, sometimes. You made a valiant effort, I applaud you, I truly do, but alas it seems greatness is not fated for all of us. You're lost to us now, such a pity, when you really could have gone so far." He froze, the disappointment in that voice, cut him deep, reopening wounds not even given a chance to heal yet. Dumbledore, the person who convinced him years ago that he could make a difference - that he actually had a choice in how he chose to live his life. The first person to give him hope had finally lost faith in too. Staring deeper into the darkness, he noticed from a distance that seemed incredible far away, a spark of light . . . as he focused on it, the vague shape began to take on a familiar shape .

Draco gasped as he watched Hogwarts, the safest place in the wizarding world, burning to the ground and with it, he realized burned away any last chance of Hermione's survival, because if she had been anywhere, it would have been there. What is it they say about being careful when staring into the abyss, because it might stare back? He watched the flames lick higher and he imagined that he could feel the heat of the fire, he could certainly smell the acidic smoke. . . For the first time since he woke up to find himself back in his cell, he realized that he finally had an option, he had a way out. Standing up, his back pressed against the wall, he could hear the steps coming louder and faster than ever before, if he was going to do it, he had to do it now.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out, only to be held back by a hand, he couldn't shake. "Let go, damn you, let me go!"

"No, Draco I won't let go. I will never let go, remember I promised you that you weren't alone anymore," a gentle voice whispered in his ear. Stunned, he felt his muscles go weak as he turned around to see cinnamon eyes and a cloud of brunette hair. Hermione - her fingers coiled deep in his shirt, hanging on to him, dragging him back from the edge.

"Hermione," he whispered, his arms wrapping around her tightly of their own accord, leaning into the wall behind her, he held her to him, not quite able to believe, but unwilling to step away. Burying his face into her hair, he breathed in deep the scent that was Hermione, "is this real?"

"As real as you want it to be," was her answer as she ran her hand through his hair, seeking to give whatever comfort she could. And for one impossibly long moment, he allowed himself to simply revel in the feel that was Hermione, before her words fully sunk into his mind.

He pulled back with a painfully wistful smile on his lips, "this is the dream then." His fingertips delicately traced out the curve of her mouth, "I understand now, I wish like hell I didn't, but I understand. I'm sorry, Hermione, I'm so damn sorry." Pressing his forehead against hers, he fiercely hugged her, in the back of his mind, he heard the step suddenly stop just outside and looking over her shoulder, he saw the door that he couldn't believe he missed beforehand. "I've got to go now, love – I'll see you soon." And he gently put her aside and began waking along the edge.

"No, I won't let go, I promised you," she insisted, tugging on the edge of his shirt.

He winced, as he forced himself to pull his shirt loose. "Hermione, this isn't real. You're dead and I'm about to die, this is how it has to be."

"Nope, you're wrong and I won't let go. You _need _me to hold on to you." She stubbornly refused to release him, instead she firmly slid her fingers between his and held on.

If he hadn't felt like his heart was about to break, he might have laughed, because he could totally see her reacting this way. "Hermione, you have to let go, I want you to let go."

She eyed him suspiciously," are you sure?" Biting her lip, she continued to hesitate, "I don't want to let go." Her fingers curled deeper into his shirt and he could feel them digging into his flesh. "I can hold you," she offered, "I can keep you safe."

Looking down into her serious cinnamon eyes, he wanted nothing more than for her to hold him forever, but the creaking of the door caught his attention and he knew who was waiting that way. Forcing himself to step away from, he brushed a light kiss over her forehead. "It's the way it has to be."

"Is it? Is it really?" Her voice was painfully silent in the emptiness. "Draco, do you believe in fairy tales?"

Draco closed his eyes and shook his head. "Fairy tales, Hermione? _Fairy tales?_"

He stood still for a moment, impossibly torn between facing the opening the door, and all that it entailed, and her open arms, the only place he really wanted to be and spun around in frustration.

She was gone and so he turned back to face the opening door, and his father.

Waking up, with a jolt, he instantly jerked upright, ignoring the protests of his sore ribs, into the darkness of his room, gasping for air. "It was all a dream, just a fucking dream," he murmured to himself as his heart slowed to a more normal rate. Running a hand through his sweat dampened hair, he blindly reached out to find a crumbled pack of cigarettes and nearly ripped it apart, before lighting one up. Inhaling, he took a deep drag, trying to get rid of the overwhelmingly sour taste of fear out of his mouth. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he smoked the cigarette down to the filter, before he lit another one automatically. His elbows propped up on his bare knees, his head hung low and the only audible sound heard was the hiss of the burning cigarettes and the occasional click of the lighter, as he chain smoked the night away.

TBC

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. Don't forget reviews are like candy & I'm nothing if not a sugar addict. I debated whether to end the chapter without the last paragraph, but figured that it was too evil of a cliffhanger, lol. So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)


	26. Baby Wants To Play?

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. Nor do I own the lyrics to "More," which of course belongs to the **Sisters of Mercy**. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;). And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Anyway, let's skip anymore of the AN & get back into the story . . .

Chapter 26 - Baby Wants To Play?

Harry was brooding, Hermione had been successfully avoiding him for three days now and for every day that went by, his temper rose another notch higher. Sitting in the Gryffindor common room, he didn't even pretend to pay attention to the conversations flowing around him anymore. Ron had long since given up trying to distract him from staring at the stairway leading to the girl's dormitory, as Harry impatiently waited for her to come downstairs. This was, he decided, the best chance to intercept her, at least this way he'd have a chance to slow her down enough to get her to talk to him. He just couldn't understand what she saw in Malfoy, he was convinced that she had to be under the influence of some potion or dark arts spell that he was still unable to identify. While she had cause to be angry at him, ignoring him for this long was just unnatural. And of course there was the fact that she was practically wrapped around that Slytherin bastard, "twist the knife counter-clockwise now, why don't you, Hermione?"

The words escaped his lips and Ron turned to give him a strange look that he was oblivious to. The red head shook his head pensively, he didn't know or particularly care anymore about Hermione at this point, if she choose to spend her time mooning over a muggle-hater like Malfoy, well, then she'd learn eventually, but Harry's behavior was seriously starting to worry him. Times like this regretted the breach that had fallen between the three of them. Although he and Hermione had never really gotten along very well for any extended period of time, she did have the unique ability to calm Harry down, in a strange way she acted as a kind of counter balance. Ron had always resented the way she insinuated her way in between them, even from the beginning. In some way he was almost glad that Malfoy was occupying Hermione's time, except for the fact that now Harry was acting like he was lost without her and he didn't know what to do about it.

Hermione smoothed down her black velvet shirt and newly transfigured leather skirt, as she bit her lower lip trying to decide what was missing. She had finished her make-up, styled her hair and her outfit was as perfect as she could get it considering that she was going to see her first Sisters of Mercy show, hell, her first concert ever. . . Hmmmm, she opened her jewelry box and looked for a necklace, but she couldn't seem to find anything that fit, so shrugging her shoulders, she grabbed her small handbag, slipping her wand into it and walked out of her room. Reaching the common room, she sighed as Harry caught her eye and stood up with the obvious intention of confronting her. Silence dominated the room as the gathered students suddenly turned their attention to the staring contest between the Boy Who Lived and the Gryffindor Princess. Hermione winced, this was exactly what she had been hoping to avoid, but despite her best efforts, rumors of their 'estrangement' were apparently running rampant through the school.

She toyed with the idea of turning around, running back up the stairs and sneaking back down under the covert safety of the invisibility cloak, but decided against it. Aside from the fact that she was nearly running late, there was no way she could justify giving Harry the satisfaction, and just because she _had_ been avoiding him, didn't mean that she had to confirm it for everyone else's morbid curiosity. So the question was now how to get out before he blew up. And where the hell was Parvati when you could actually use her? Hermione, shook her head, and decided to brave the gauntlet, while she kept her eyes firmly on the exit door. Holding a deep breath, she tried to pass him unsuccessfully as he stepped directly into her path.

"Hermione," Harry's voice was low in the stillness of the room, warning her that he wasn't prepared to take no for an answer this time.

"Do not do this, Harry. It is neither the time nor the place and if you haven't noticed, we're not exactly alone," her voice was equally hushed as she stared him down.

He frowned slightly, taking a brief moment to glance around as if to test the veracity of her statement, his expression only growing darker when he realized that there was, indeed, a very attentive crowd hanging on their every word. Abruptly dropping his eyes, he took off his glasses, ostensibly to adjust them, while he subtly moved aside to allow her room to pass him. Sighing in relief, Hermione took the opening and quickly made her way between Harry who as always was flanked by Ron. She could feel the collection of eyes on her back, following her out of the room.

Passing thro_ugh_ the portrait, she walked headlong into an impatiently pacing Draco, who quickly braced her by wrapping an arm around her waist. Hermione reluctantly raised her eyes to meet the amused expression that she knew she would find in his, before she let her head fall against his chest, lightly shaking it. "Hmmm, so I suppose that this means that you're finally ready?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, "ha, I'd like to see you do any better if you had to deal with my roommates - fending off their attempts to do your hair or make-up, while trying to make sure they don't jinx you behind your back." Stepping back, her eyes involuntarily widened as she took in the full impact of what he was wearing. She had to remind herself to close her mouth that she was sure must have been hanging open. Black bondage pants, a tailored button up black shirt, complete with a black tie and a military cut, tightly fitted black jacket that hit him at his knees – he was dangerously attractive, she decided, as she tried unsuccessfully to stifle the blush she could feel burning her checks.

"Awww, my poor baby . . . Well, it's ok, we've left all those nasty Gryffindors behind now," Draco replied in a mocking voice.

"Don't push your luck, Slytherin." She warned him as he smirked back.

"Hey, for the record that it's your house that's driving you crazy, not mine, thank you very much."

"Like your house is any better, Malfoy," she shot back, her grin fading as she saw the shadows in his eyes deepen slightly. Quick to change the topic, she continued, "anyway, shouldn't we get going or something?"

He rewarded her with a faint smile and his arm reached behind her shoulders as he led her away. "Hmmm, did I mention yet, how beautiful you look. . ."

* * *

Infinity sat at the desk, her long legs propped up on a corner, absent-mindedly running her hand through her naturally green tinted, brown hair and flipping though a book resting in her lap in between alternately glancing up at the fire burning in the fireplace in front of her. So when a face suddenly appeared in the flames she nearly hit the floor in shock. "Dammit, Alex, you're late! Idiot," she grumbled under her breath as she sat back up, "well? Tell me you found out what they're planning."

The image in the flames looked apologetic. "Sorry, but no such luck."

"What?" Her voice was outraged. "Nothing – at all? How is that _even_ possible?"

He shrugged, "we checked all our usual sources and then some. If Lucius is up to something, then it must be at the highest levels of deatheaters and none of them are talking."

Her head hung low for a moment, before she flung her head back up in frustration, her hair swinging like a curtain. "Damn. This really sucks, you know that, right?" She sighed, "ok, fine, but the minute you do hear something, I expect to be updated on it, immediately!"

"You know I will," he paused, before adding, "good luck, Infinity." And with that, the image blinked out of the flames.

"Yeah, thanks. At this rate, I need every bit I can get." She stood up and ran her hand roughly through her hair, before abruptly knocking the book off the desk. She watched it hit the floor with a less than satisfying thud. "Fuck!"

"Ummm, am I interrupting something?"

Infinity spun around to see Remus lurking in the doorway with a slightly abashed expression on his face as his eyes traveled from her to down at the book still lying, where it fell, on the floor.

Wincing slightly, she shrugged, "not really, I was just waiting on some news and didn't like the answer that I got. You just came in on the tail end of it, sorry."

Lupin walked in, stooping to pick up the book and smiled. "Oh come on, Infinity, give me a break. I know you wound up, more than once if I recall correctly, watching the old gang, including me, of course, flip out upon occasion. Throwing a book around hardly even qualifies for a mention, considering some of the stuff we put you through."

Infinity smirked, "well, put in that perspective, you're right. We were a wild bunch, weren't we?"

Sitting down, he laughed, "I think that would be a slight understatement. Hey Infinity, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, shoot away."

"Why _did_ we break up?" He gave her a look she was unable to interpret.

"Oh Merlin, Remus, dredge up ancient history, why don't you?" She asked, obviously flustered by the question and trying to laugh it off.

"No, I'm serious. Don't you ever wonder about how different things might be?" Giving her a quick glance, he looked away just as fast.

Ok, Infinity, tread carefully here, she mentally told herself. "What brought all this on?" The question although gently asked, still hung heavy in the air between them.

Abruptly standing up, he began to pace. "I don't know. . . Seeing you again after all these years and back here of all places," he shrugged his shoulders, "it makes me remember how good everything was, before it all went so terribly wrong."

She sighed, before getting up to walk over to him and reaching out she laid a hesitant hand on his upper arm. "I know, Remus, sometimes its hard for me too, being back here with all the memories, but the past is the past and as much as we might like to, we can't change it."

"I know that, believe me I know, but we were good together, weren't we?" His expression changed from resigned to an almost wistful kind of nostalgia and his eyes landed on her gently.

"Sure, we were - when we weren't arguing, or getting in trouble from skipping class, or fighting over other people and their opinions, or –"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember all of that too," he shook his head even as she smirked at him, recognizing all too well that particular note of exasperation in his voice. "But even still, getting dumped for that Slytherin. Snape, Snape, Infinity, Snape. Couldn't you have found someone else – _anyone_ else?" Despite his self-deprecating words, a trace of real emotion seemed to bleed through if only for a brief moment.

Her smile slipped for moment, but she decided it was best to keep things light and quipped, "oh, please, you know I didn't dump you for Servus, he and I were friends before you and I ever got involved and were friends afterwards, things only got serious between us months later."

"Well a month and a half later, actually, if you want to be specific about it," was his dry reply and at that she did roll her eyes.

"Keeping track, were you?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe just a bit," and he cracked a smile to match hers.

Infinity shrugged her shoulders, "yeah, well with Servus and Sirius both bitching, any romantic relationship between us was doomed to failure. Besides who else would I have to be my best friend, hmmm?"

Giving her a quick sidelong glance, he smirked. "Yes, there is that, I suppose. You are a bit of an acquired taste, after all. Hey, now," he exclaimed as she lightly slapped him in the arm.

* * *

"Ok, so we're here." Draco gestured towards an unassuming door of an even more mundane two-story building and a sign that simply read 'The Bank'.

"What? This is it, a bank?" She looked up at him with a puzzled expression. "Do you even have an account at a muggle bank?" Her expression darkened as he laughed at her.

Smirking, he lifted an arm up to block her half-hearted punch. "Sorry, I suppose that I should have warned you, 'The Bank' is the name of the club, but if it makes you feel better, you're not the first person to make that mistake. And to answer your question, no, I don't have an account at a muggle bank. Why would I?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "you're really an ass, you know that, Malfoy."

"It's all a part of my charm, Granger."

"I wouldn't exactly brag about that if I were you," she shot back, unable to repress her smile.

"Says the girl on my arm," he smugly pointed out. "It obviously worked on you, so why should I change my strategy now. Anyway, do you want to go inside or continue to argue out here?"

"Must you always have the last word?" She asked him as they walked into the club.

"Don't know what you're talking about," he answered with a smirk as he paid the cover charge for the both of them, before he drew her out into the dimly lit interior. Clinging to his arm, she allowed him to lead her through the darkness, while her eyes adjusted. The entrance was at a slight angle, opening into a dance floor with an attached stage and they crossed through, past the bar and a shadowed hallway, instead he brought her up an open stairway to the second level. "Here we go, the heroin sofa," he announced as he pushed her down, before he gracefully sank into the plush cushions next to her.

"Heroin sofa?" She arched an eyebrow enquiringly, as she ran her hand along the burgundy velvet surface of the couch.

Draco shrugged his shoulders, looking slightly abashed. "Well, yeah, that's what its called, " he frowned slightly. "I've never actually _seen_ anyone shoot up here, but I wouldn't exactly put it past some of them," he gestured around with a free arm, as the club began filling up around them.

"You're very strange, you know that, right? And before you answer I assure it was a perfectly rhetorical question," Hermione was quick to add. "Anyway, I thought we were here to see a show - sooo. . ." Her voice trailed off expectantly.

"Impatient much, are we?" His fingers reached up to idly play with few strands of her hair hanging loose around her face. "We're actually a bit early, they've just opened the doors so Sisters won't be on for awhile. Until then, we can hang out, drink, dance or whatever." Leaning back, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one.

She looked at him for a moment, "why do you smoke so much? Those things will kill you someday."

He smirked and took a deep drag, "maybe in the muggle world, but medi-wizardry can do wonders. Not to mention the fact that you have to have to smoke these things for fifty or sixty years or so before they do any real damage. I have more than enough things trying to kill me in the meantime to worry about such a distant possibility. "

"That's such a glowing endorsement, if I ever heard one."

"Hey, who's endorsing anything? I smoke because I enjoy it, you shouldn't smoke at all."

"Excuse me?" The indignation in her voice made his smirk grow only to vanish as she plucked the cigarette from his hand and brought it to her lips.

"Trust me, you don't want to do that." His warning fell on deaf ears as she cast him a defiant smirk and in a fit of piquet, deeply inhaled, before breaking out into a violent coughing fit amidst a cloud of gray smoke. Patting her on the head in a decidedly condescending way, he bit back his laughter and calmly reclaimed his smoke. "Told ya," as he took a long drag and winked at her, ignoring the glaring ire in her eyes. "What you need, of course, is a drink and not a cigarette."

Narrowing her eyes, she watched him as he casually strolled off to the bar to order only god knows what for her. After a few moments, she grew bored and instead decided to look over the club again, without the distraction of Draco's presence. Muggles were surely but steadily entering, walking up to the bar, lining the area around the dance floor, wandering up the two staircases and gathering on the couches near her or leaning over the balcony. Standing up, she stretched her arms gracefully above her shoulders, slightly exposing a sliver of bare skin of her stomach. Somewhere off to her left, she could feel a set of eyes all but burning a non-too subtle hole in her back and after debating it for a moment, she tilted her head slightly under the pretense of brushing a tendril of her hair behind her ear. Hermione didn't think to hesitate, as a mischievous smile crossed her lips and she met his brilliant blue eyes, peeking out below a sweep of black hair.

She gasped in shock, as a hand suddenly wrapped tightly around her throat from behind, pulling her firmly up against a body. Panicking, she reached for her handbag she had carelessly left on the couch, despite knowing that there was no way she'd be able to reach it in time.

Draco arched an unseen eyebrow at her strangely curious reaction before deciding to take pity on her. "A bit nervous aren't we?"

Realization hit her slowly and her body all but slumped into his, before she remembered the stranger and the odd moment of tension they had shared. Hermione didn't want to image what Draco's reaction might be and was in no real mood to deal with it, if she could, since technically she supposed that in certain light that might have constituted as a mild flirtation and that was the last thing she need on this night, their first "official date". "Any reason I should be?" She asked quietly, hoping her voice didn't sound as guilty to him then it did to her. Turning to face him, she sent an anxious, but hopefully a seemingly random, glance over his shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that whoever he was had apparently wandered off somewhere else.

"No, not as far as I know of anyway," he replied, forcing himself to maintain a neutral tone. However to Draco's practiced eye, her efforts were a touch too slow to be entirely believable, something was definitely up, but as he pulled her closer and cast a careful but ultimately fruitless look around them, he shrugged his shoulders and decided, at least for the moment, to ignore his twinge of suspicion. He abruptly sat down on the sofa, tugging slightly on her hand until she followed his lead and sat down as well, at which point he handed her a drink. Clinking his glass into hers, he muttered a short, "na zdravie," before he finished his shot in one smooth swallow. Hermione glanced up at the icy sheen of his silver eyes and was faintly disturbed to realize that she was beginning to able to read his moods simply by the color of his eyes and tossed back her drink absentmindedly. A mistake she would soon learn to be wary of ever repeating again, as the alcohol seared a path down her throat.

Making little effort to hide his amusement as she broke out in a violent coughing fit, Draco was surprised, although, having assumed that she would have spent most of the night nursing that one drink. He removed the glass from her hand and patted her on the back as she fought to regain her breath and almost broke out in startled laughter as she gasped out, "what the hell _was_ that?"

He smirked, "just a double shot of Rumple Minze." At her blank look, he added," just peppermint schnapps, nothing terribly dangerous, I assure you."

Hermione closed her eyes against the rush of alcohol as she leaned back into the couch, "yeah, so you say, but I somehow I doubt that your idea of dangerous and mine are even remotely similar,"

Shrugging his shoulders, he stood up and offered her his hand, gesturing towards the staircase. "Shall we?" She eyed him suspiciously, before consenting to give him her hand and they made their way through the growing crowd. She teetered going down the metal staircase, still slightly dizzy and Draco securely wrapped an arm around her waist, half supporting her body as they descended. The dance floor was a mixture of people dancing and others tightly packed in front of the stage. "So what's your pleasure?" At her confused expression, he repressed the smile that threatened to creep across his face. "Do you want to wait by the stage, dance or hang back a bit?"

"Ummmm," Hermione looked at the dancers with a skewered eye, shaking her head at the thought of even attempting to replicate their movements, nor was she particularly inclined to join those gathered at the stage. In fact the more she thought about it, the more she decided that she'd prefer staying out of the limelight entirely. "Let's just stand back here, k?"

"Sure, works for me." Draco tugged slightly on her arm, pulling her backwards into the shadows, even as he moved behind her, his arms slipping around her bodying drawing her into his. Tilting her head back into the hollow of his shoulder, Hermione relaxed against him, her hands crisscrossing to cling to his forearms wrapped around her waist, enjoying the feeling of security in his embrace. After awhile, the already dimmed lights grew darker, before suddenly brightening as the band appeared on the stage, the crowd moved towards the stage, even as they cheered loudly. From where they were standing she could barely see the band, the audience were all standing or dancing in front of her, but she contented herself with listening as she swayed to the beat of the music with Draco.

As the band played on, Hermione grew more relaxed. Based on that quick listen she had heard that time in Draco's room, she wasn't all too sure whether she'd actually enjoy the show, but to her surprise the music and especially the lyrics seemed to strike a certain chord in her. Draco's running commentary in her ear was also helped to set her at even more ease, as he pointed out various muggles dancing in the crowd – the goth priestess, bowing to the goth gods, or the rivethead intent on the what Draco called 'the bat dance.' She couldn't help but giggle as he 'explained' the various steps for her 'greater enlightenment,' "no, really Hermione, watch him. See now he's picking up the bat, watch as he spins it around, before tossing it to the ground, at which time he is careful to step on it as if to obliterate it's existence, before picking it back up again to begin the process all over again."

"Draco, just give up, ok? There is no way you are going to convince me that this is an actual dance." She whispered back to him, half amused despite herself and half scolding.

"You doubt my word?" He asked, seemingly shocked, but the slight curve of his lips betrayed his barely suppressed amusement. "Muggles are an odd sort, you should know that better than me. Want more proof?" Giving her no chance to respond, he pointed to a woman whose arms moved into a fluid, almost hypnotic rhythm without any discernable pattern. "That is called the gothic hand jive and as you can see," he made a wide sweeping gesture, encompassing most of the crowd, "it's very popular."

"Gothic hand jive, hmmm? You do have a lot of time on your hands, don't you Draco?" Hermione arched an eyebrow at him, but he only smirked back at her, before settling back to watch the rest of the show. When the show began to wind down and the band left the stage, she stepped forward, only to pulled back. Hey the show's not over yet," he grinned, "it's time for the encore," and he nodded towards the stage where she could see the band walking back.

"This is one of my favorite songs," he leaned down to whisper in her ear. She tilted her head slightly to give him a quick sidelong glance and he added, "just listen to the lyrics."

__

_"Some people get by_

_with a little understanding,_

_some people get by_

_with a whole lot more._

_I don't know_

_why you gotta be so undemanding,_

_but one thing I know_

_is I want more._

_And I need all the love that I can't get to_

_and I need all the love that I can get_

_and I need all the love I that I can't get to."_

Looking up at him curiously, she could feel his liquid silver eyes burning into her and a slow uncoiling of heat grew inside of her as if in response. "Hmmmm, trying to tell me something Draco?" His only answer was a seductively sinful smirk, as he raised a finger to her lips hushing her.

_"Do you get scared to feel so much?_

_To let somebody touch you_

_So hot, so cold, so far so out of control_

_Hard to come by, and harder to hold"_

As the sing played on, Hermione's awareness of the band and even the crowd around her fell away and instead found herself caught up in the music and the darkly sensual mood it invoked in her. She began dancing as opposed to merely swaying, her body suddenly feeling very fluid and boneless. In a distant corner of her brain she was sure that she more drunk than tipsy at this point, idly wondering what the hell was in that drink Draco had given her. His arms anchored her on her feet and she pulled them even tighter around her, unwilling to test her own balance.

__

_"Some people get by_

_with a little understanding,_

_some people get by_

_with a whole lot more._

_I don't know_

_why you gotta be so undemanding,_

_but one thing I know_

_is I want more._

_And I need all the love that I can't get to_

_and I need all the love that I can get_

_and I need all the love I that I can't get to."_

Draco intently watched the action on stage, all too aware of Hermione's distracting gyrations in his embrace. He figured that she'd have a low alcohol tolerance, which was precisely why he had ordered that particular drink for her, but the fact that she was already drunk after her first drink only made his plan that much easier to implement.

__

_"There are parts of me that don't get nervous_

_Not the parts that shake_

_You get what you deserve_

_You are what you can take_

_Learning to cry for fun and profit_

_I'm not done yet_

_Counterfeit dollars or the English zloty_

_Anything I can get"_

Of course if she kept this up, then that might be even quicker than he anticipated, he smirked to himself. Before his forehead lightly fell forward to rest on the top of her head and he quickly sucked in his breath as she began to push herself back against him. His one hand slid past her lower belly to firmly hold her hips against his own, letting her feel his hardness.

__

_"And I need all the love that I can't get to_

_And I need all the love that I can get_

_And I need all the love I can't get to"_

Tilting her head forward, her breath caught in her throat as she could feel Draco trailing hot open-mouthed kisses along the delicate curve of her neck. __

__

_"All the love that you can get_

_All the love_

_That I can get to"_

Feeling emboldened by the moment – the music, Draco's obvious excitement, and the alcohol and her own desire pooling deep inside of her body – Hermione wickedly smiled. And as the song began to slowly trail off, she suddenly broke free of his arms and turned to face him. Standing there for a moment, she abruptly reached out, her fingers brushed the rich fabric of his tie, before suddenly wrapping it around her fist as she dragged him in for a fiercely hot kiss. Her tongue fought his for dominance, before she broke the kiss off as unexpectedly as she had initiated it, and she roughly pushed him hard against the wall, before stalking towards him, with every intention of pinning _him_ against the wall this time. A curiously indulgent half smile played across Draco's face as he stood inches away from the wall, his lean body deceptively casual. "Hmmm, so baby wants to play, does she?"

His voice was amused, but low enough to stop Hermione in her tracks as she paused to try and read his face hidden in the shadows. This was as aggressive as she had ever been in their relationship and she was suddenly rethinking exactly how not smart this might be at this point. Taking a deep breath, she tried to quickly examine her options, seriously regretting the shot she had thrown back earlier, her brain working sluggishly. Was she ready to cross the unspoken line and take control or had she already blown her bluff by hesitating for too long?

Unseen in the darkness, Draco smirked. This was one of the things he loved most about Hermione; he could practically watch her mind at work, her expressions revealing her almost every thought. He had plans for her tonight, the question was how far was she going to try to take this and how long his patience would last before he reeled her in. Not too long, he decided, as he watched her, watching him like a deer that knew it was being stalked as prey.

TBC 

I just wanted to say how very pleased I was by everyone's reactions to the Draco's dream sequence in the last chapter, since I wasn't sure how well it would read. The fact that many of you were uncertain at the beginning of it as whether or not it was a dream was especially gratifying since the effect I wanted was for both Draco and the person reading it (you, lol) to be convinced it was happening. I nagged my poor beta reader to death on that scene trying to make it perfect, so thank you all so very much for letting me know that it worked so well.

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. Don't forget reviews are like candy & I'm nothing if not a sugar addict. So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)


	27. An Interlude

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me.  I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;).  And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry.  Anyway, let's skip anymore of the AN & get back into the story . . .

Chapter 27 - An Interlude

Moments after Hermione made her exit, the Gryffindor common room exploded into conversation. Neville poked his head out the door and quickly returned, "Oh My God!  She just walked off with bloody Malfoy!"  The volume in the room instantly reached a deafening level.  Harry could feel his blood pressure suddenly spike up, then he heard the shrill tones of Parvati calling his name cut through the noise of his gossiping housemates.  His eyes darted sideways as she approached and he turned, stalking off in the opposite direction and out the portrait door.  There was only one person he needed to see. He took off at a dead run to find Sirius. Ten minutes later, Harry was still cursing out the damn moving staircases, but was at last walking down the right hallway. His eyes lit up in satisfaction as he finally saw the door he'd been looking for.

Flinging it open, he ran into the room, "Sirius you won't believe . . ." Harry suddenly came to a dead stop._ "…What the Fuck?!?!?"_  Harry's eyes widened, jaw dropped and his head tilted slightly, as everything seemed to move in slow motion.

On the rumpled bed was a leopard, crouched on all fours with a large feral black dog atop, it's jaws tightly clamped on the back of the leopard's neck.  Harry's mind couldn't quite comprehend the scene in front of him.  The dog slowly rose up on its hind legs, jaw lifting and turned towards him as it morphed into his extremely naked and irate godfather.

"For Fuck's Sake, Harry, Close the Damned Door!!!" 

Stunned, Harry turned and closed the door.

"Get the Fuck _Out_ And Close the Door!!!"  Sirius demanded.  Somewhat dazed, Harry obeyed and found himself facing the stone wall outside Sirius' bedroom.  Harry's brain snapped – Sirius is into bestiality?!?! And _how the fuck_ wouldyou smuggle a leopard into Hogwarts?!?!  First Hermione, then Parvati and now this?  He winced as he heard the door snap open. Harry was afraid to turn around.

Standing in the doorway was Sirius, "Well now that you've interrupted my evening, you might as well come in."  Turning ever so slowly, Harry hesitantly opened his eyes to see Sirius wearing a half buttoned pair of jeans and a beat up tee shirt.  After a moment of Harry staring at him, Sirius blurted out, "Well, in or out?"

"Is it safe?"  Harry asked, feeling the need to curl up in a corner somewhere, anywhere else.

Sirius sighed, running a distracted hand though his hair, "Just get your ass in here, okay?"   Harry nodded, following him in.  Sitting on the bed, wearing what Harry knew to be Sirius' bathrobe, was a young woman – maybe in her late twenties. She had a short pixie cut of what appeared to be leopard print hair (Harry ceased to question anything he saw at this point) and green eyes set in a lovely pale face.

Sirius, shrugging somewhat abashedly, sat down next to her.  After a brief but awkward silence, she turned to Sirius with an annoyed but vaguely amused glance.  "Well, Sirius, this isn't exactly how I planned on meeting your god son, but since someone _forgot_ to lock the door," she spoke in a clear American accent. Sirius grinned unrepentantly and she shook her head. "Hi Harry.  It's nice to finally meet you, my name is –" Sirius suddenly broke in with a snicker, "sorry, love.  Harry Potter, I'd like to introduce you to Madison Grimshaw – my lover… girlfriend…." and he turned to give her a slow considering glance," and soon to be fiancé."

Harry's knees suddenly felt unable to support his weight and he fell onto a chair, completely missing the curiously shocked look Madison gave Sirius.  "Well, this is a  . . . surprise.  Um . . . nice to meet you?"

TBC 

A very short chapter, I know, I know, but before you get upset, never fear & click ahead, I've added two chapters this time.  Despite this chapter's brevity, please remember to read & review.  It was co-written by me & my beta-reader at 5 AM & we'd love to know what you thought of it.

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you.  Don't forget reviews are like candy & I'm nothing if not a sugar addict.  So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)


	28. The Mark of a Deatheater

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;). And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Anyway, let's skip anymore of the AN & get back into the story . . .

Chapter 28 - The Mark Of A Deatheater

Waiting for Draco to return, Hermione had wandered over to the now empty stage, still close enough to the dance floor, but also allowed for a bit of personal space in the crowded club. "Hmmm, still alone are you?" An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke in her ear, all too close for comfort. Startled, she turned to face the stranger, the guy who'd been staring at her earlier. She tried to take an instinctive step back only to be held in place by his outstretched hand.

"Umm, I'm not really alone, my . . . . boyfriend just went to over to the bar to get a drink. He'll be back any minute." Her words sounded tremulous and halting to her own ears, she could only imagine how they would seem to this self-assured stranger. The oddly uncomfortable feeling that she had when she first noticed him returned with a vengeance. She forced herself to try and pull her arm free, but it was a halfhearted effort at best. She wanted to tell him off and walk away but for some reason, she found herself unable to do either. Something was wrong, but her mind was muddled and she was having problems trying to pin it down. Out of feasible options she looked down and her breath caught painfully in her throat as she saw _it_ burnt into his arm – the mark of a deatheater.

"Boyfriend you say? Strange, I never would have imagined a mudblood delusional enough to think that Draco Malfoy would ever consent to be 'a boyfriend' to trash like you." He laughed menacingly. Hermione felt herself go pale. The crowd around them seemed to drop away and she stared at him transfixed in horror. His fingers dug into the flesh of her forearm with an exorable grip, as he dragged her towards him. She stared almost drunkenly into his eyes, a vast expanse of emptiness.

"Awww, what's the matter, little mudblood? Are you beginning to understand this dangerous game you're playing? Are you learning, at last, to be afraid? Because if you still believe that he's going to swoop down to your rescue, then it will be my pleasure to prove you wrong. But I must thank you for neglecting to inform anyone at Hogwarts of where you were going tonight, that will make disposing of your body that much easier." With each word he spoke, his voice seemed to grow colder. She half-expected to see his breath condensing in the air. Her world narrowed to his painful grip on her, the competition between what he was saying and her own frantic heartbeat and the blue of his eyes. If she could only scream or reach her wand, then she'd have a chance but whatever he was using against her made either action impossible, she felt frozen in place and effectively helpless.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered up the tattered remnants of her free will and forced herself to look away, breaking the compulsion to maintain eye contact with him, staggering with an effort that left her feeling weak. Over his shoulder she caught a glimpse of a tall figure with blonde hair making his way though the crowd, Draco was coming. She was suddenly filled with an intense sense of relief, but then she remembered the stranger's words – how did he know that she didn't tell anyone at school? Could she really trust Draco? Could she afford not to? She stared in the direction from which he approached, until a motion from the other man grabbed her attention. She gasped as she realized that he was drawing out his wand.

Draco cursed to himself as he gracefully managed to evade yet another self-absorbed dancer without spilling a drop of overpriced alcohol from either glass. Scanning the room, he saw Hermione and started to smile to himself until he caught sight of the person standing with her. His eyes narrowed as his stride dramatically lengthened. He paid no attention to the muggles unfortunate enough to be standing between him and his destination, least of all to those who wound up wearing the contents of the glasses he had been carrying as he threw them to the side, his hand reaching for his wand. By the time it took him to cross the dance floor, the situation had taken a precariously dangerous turn, Hermione stood between him and his target. He cut himself off mid-curse, there was no way to attack without risking her being hit by it, holding his wand at the ready.

"About time you showed up Draco, I was beginning to get bored."

"Hiding behind girls now, Gage?" Draco sneered, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "Why are you here?"

"Why," he asked, "well, obviously to save you from yourself. I mean, really, slumming it with mudbloods now," the dark haired man shook his head as if in pity, "I didn't know you were that hard up."

"Let her go. Whatever your problems with me, she has nothing to do with any of this. All you're doing is creating a scene in public and pissing me off, neither of which is exactly in your favor." Forcing himself to remain at least outwardly calm, Draco cautiously took a few steps towards them, waiting for an opportunity to act. From the looks of things, Hermione wasn't going to be of much help and knowing Gage, Draco could only guess what curse he had used on her. The thought of it made his temper slip a notch and his fingers tightened around his wand in an effort to regain his control.

"Oh no, Malfoy, you're wrong. She has _everything_ to do with this."

Then the bastard laughed, he actually _fucking_ laughed. Draco was infuriated, wanting nothing more than to wrap his hands around his throat and to personally throttle the life out of him. But his eyes widened in alarm as he watched Gage dig for something in his pocket. As if prescient, Draco's hand shot out to grab Hermione's tightly, just to experience an all too familiar gut-wrenching tug from his center of gravity. Landing roughly, Draco made sure he had a strong grip on Hermione's wrist and quickly pulled her securely behind him. Damn, he almost admired the bastard's strategic skills, he'd obviously given this some thought even bringing a bloody portkey along. Too bad for Gage that he had so poorly underestimated his victims, because – and Draco cruelly smiled at the thought – under these circumstance he left the young Slytherin with no reason to further restrain himself.

Hermione landed with a thud, sprawling out on the ground behind Draco, not sure where exactly they had been sent to. She had the oddest feeling that there was something she was supposed to be doing, but thinking was too much of an effort, so instead she looked around at her surroundings. It looked like they were in the ruins of some castle that looked vaguely familiar, in Wales, maybe?

"So now what, hmmmmm?" Draco asked, his voice dangerously soft and eyes iced over.

Gage frowned. Things weren't _quite_ going to plan, but he couldn't figure out exactly where he had lost control over the situation. He had lost the mudblood in the jump, and while that was annoying, he was definitely more concerned by the feral expression that crossed his younger opponents face. At this point, the boy should have been apologetic and fearful of this information getting back to his father or even Voldemort, not so stubbornly defiant. This wasn't the Malfoy he remembered, granted he hadn't seen him in person for nearly eight years, but the information and stories he'd been regularly receiving since the boy had entered Hogwarts had never hinted at this kind of intensity and confidence that was . . . unnerving to say the least. Despite himself, he felt a slight tremor of uncertainty run down his spine.

"I'm going to kill you and your little whore," he quickly swallowed as he watched silver eyes flash angrily, "of course." Gage had striven for self-assurance, but had a sinking feeling that his words had come off sounding as hollow as he felt.

"You mean that you're going to try," Draco gently corrected him, "and fail." His delivery of the words was enough to raise the other mans hackles. "You wanted me angry, congratulations, you've succeeded. You want me dead, well, I'm standing here," he punctuated his sentence with painfully restrained gestures. Biting off each word that grew just a little louder the longer he spoke. "But whatever was your intent, you should have _never been stupid enough to threaten what is mine._" Draco raised his wand ominously.

Time to regain control, Gage decided, firing a blasting curse at Draco only to watch him sidestep and divert it with a repelling charm.

The dark note in Draco's voice seemed to trigger something in Hermione and she raised her head to try to find him. She was startled to see him engaged in a wizarding duel and shook her head impatiently to try and clear it, wincing slightly at her sudden headache. Why didn't this make any sense and why couldn't she remember what was happening?

"Oh come on, surely you can do better than that. You had better if you think you're going to survive this time," Draco taunted him recklessly. "I thought you were supposed to be all bad ass. My father's fucking prodigy, what a joke. You're barely more talented than a squib or are is it just the technical skills that you lack?" He waited a moment, before he smirked and waved his wand in a sharp motion, "Expelliarmus!" Not giving the other man the chance to respond, he quickly followed up with, "Accio wand!" Draco deftly caught the wand as it flew into his free hand. "Any other brilliant ideas now, Gage?"

"Shit," he breathed, racking his brain. Gage realized that he had badly underestimated Draco, but at least he still had the portkey back to the club to escape, the only question was how to get his wand back. Could he bluff his way out of this? "Don't do anything you might regret, Draco. Did you really think I came on my own?"

Draco broke out into sinister laughter. "As if I'd _ever_ regret killing you. This is the opportunity I've been waiting years for and I'm more than willing to bet that you were stupid enough to come alone. Tacitum!" Draco gleefully smirked as he watched Gage suddenly realize that he was now incapable of speech. Now the only question was whether he should torture the bastard to death or simply kill him. He wasn't surprised when he saw him try to grab the portkey out of his pocket and was ready for it. "Petrificus Totalus! You're not getting away that easily, Gage." He walked around the deatheater smugly at his leisure, the bastard was at his complete mercy now and he was enjoying every minute of it.

"Draco . . ." Hermione's weak voice caught his attention and his head dropped slightly as he half turned to face her.

"Don't worry, Hermione this is almost over." Draco's voice was cool and dispassionate enough to rouse her from her stupor.

Sitting on the broken stonework on the ground, she saw him walking, no it was more like stalking around the dark haired man – the deatheater - she remembered from the club. She tried to stand up, stumbling as she did. Draco was quick to rush over and steady her with a hand at her elbow.

"You should sit back down until I've finished with him, it'll just be a minute more." Although he was relieved to see that she suffered no ill effects, he was disappointed that she had recovered at that _particular_ moment. This was bound to be trouble.

"Draco," her voice was still weak, but growing stronger, "you have to stop, you can't just murder him – "

"Murder?" Draco turned to stare at her in disbelief. "Murder?" He repeated stunned. "Did you hit your head? He is a deatheater, Hermione, a deatheater. Exactly what part of that don't you understand?"

"I know what he is," she shook off his hand to stare back at him, "but you've already incapacitated him, Draco. He's no longer a threat to us. Killing him like this would be murder."

Turning away from her, he ran his hand through his hair and tilted his head downward, letting his bangs all but obscure his face. "I don't fucking believe this! He would have killed you and me without a moment's hesitation. I know for a fact that he's killed before and would do it again in a heartbeat. And you're standing here defending _him_, how the hell do you justify that?"

"I'm not defending him, Draco. I don't give a damn what happens to him. You're the one I'm worried about. Killing him in cold blood? You're better than that, Draco. That is something he would do." Her voice started to rise higher in pitch, despite her best efforts to keep it all together, as she desperately tried to find a way to reach him.

She'd thought she could predict his mood swings, but she had never seen this side of him before and it was scaring the hell out of her. He was actually ready to kill this guy and she didn't know how to stop him, short of outright attacking him, and she really didn't want to let it get to that point. Nevertheless, she steeled herself just in case, because she wasn't prepared to watch him throw his life away like this.

"Don't you ever compare me to a monster like him," Draco hissed, his voice as cold as she had ever heard it.

"Draco, I'm not, I never – "

Cutting her off, he exploded. "The hell, you're not. Don't you get it? Even if you don't give a damn what happens to me, you'd think that you would at least have some sense of self-preservation? Because even now, if he got the chance, he'd kill you and he'd enjoy it, Hermione. He'd make it slow and painful just for his own amusement."

"Even more reason to have him thrown into Azkaban, where he can be made to suffer for his crimes as he deserves. But killing him when he is defenseless – it's just not right." Hermione pled her case, but she could see from Draco's darkening scowl that she wasn't getting through to him.

Hearing a faint grumbling ahead of them, they both turned, raising their wands to see Gage fighting back against the bonds of the spells that Draco had cast upon him. Aggravated by the interruption, they both pointed their wands at him, shouting, "Expelliarmus!" The impact sent him flying off into a broken stone wall, and slumping down to the ground unconscious, while they continued their argument without missing a beat.

"Azkaban?!?" He scoffed, "is that your solution to everything? Whose side are you fucking on, anyway? Why don't we just hand him back over to my father, it's the same end result." Draco was beyond frustrated. He was so close to killing to Gage and then Hermione with her painfully proper code of ethics had to recover just in time to try and stop him. He wanted Hermione, but he also wanted Gage dead and it was becoming clear to him that he couldn't have both or at least not at his moment, anyway.

"Like your solution of killing him is any better?" She yelled back at him, wondering if she was going to have to stun him to get them out of this. Hermione didn't know what had the hell happened before she had come to, but Draco's anger seemed entirely out of proportion, even considering what Gage tried to do. Taking a slight step towards Draco, she stumbled, grabbing her head with her free hand.

"Dammit, Hermione, will you sit down already?" Sighing angrily, Draco quickly crossed the foot or so distance between them, to gently push her down to the ground after reminding himself to keep his temper in check.

Landing somewhat gracelessly, she looked up at Draco, who squatted down next to her and grudgingly thanked him. "What is wrong with me? It can't be the alcohol, I didn't have that much to drink."

"You're probably still feeling the aftereffects of the Obsecutus spell, but it doesn't last very long, so it should fully wear off pretty soon." Draco commented, as he absently noted her shivering in the cool night air. His eyes turned a moody dark grey and he shrugged off his jacket to loosely wrap it around her shoulders.

Tugging the jacket tighter around her, she flashed him a brief but grateful smile. "Obsecutus, I've never heard of it before."

"I'd be surprised if you had. It's a nasty little Dark Arts spell, a weaker version of the Imperius curse. It's basically the wizarding equivalent of a ruffie - sapping the victims free will and leaving them docile prey. You're lucky I showed up when I did, if he had activated the portkey before I had gotten a hold of you, you don't even want to think about what he would have done." His eyes turned a darker shade, a stormy winter sky, as he brushed a strand of hair off her face as he contemplated what might have been.

"Great . . . " Hermione said faintly. "I never even saw him do it."

"Don't feel too bad, you wouldn't have. He probably hit you with it from somewhere across the club. It's designed to take the person by surprise from a distance, so they can't offer up a defense that, after all, would defeat the purpose. Typical cowardly deatheater shit." He gave a short mirthless laugh. Reaching out with a finger, he tilted her face up to his and with narrowed eyes he examined her face for a moment. "But don't worry, you'll be fine. It's almost entirely worn off by now."

"How can you tell?"

With a hint of his usual sardonic humor, Draco arched an eyebrow. "You don't believe me? Take off your shirt," he silkily ordered.

Her mouth fell open. "What?!? Hell no!"

"I rest my case, you're fine," he smirked, as she rolled her eyes at him. "What?"

"How can you think about that at this moment?" She asked him, clearly exasperated with him.

"You refused as I knew you would, which means that you're recovered. What more do you want?"

She refused to dignify that with an answer, instead asking, "So what should we do with him?"

Draco shot her a cynical look. "I don't suppose that you'd be willing to turn a

blind eye and let me – " He trailed off, seeing the look in her eyes. "No?" He asked bitterly, "Yeah, I figured as much. Ok, in that case, I'd suggest breaking his wand, obliterating his memory, taking the port key back to the club and leaving him here. He'll know something happened, he'll suspect me, but he won't know for sure and that will fuck with him." When she hesitatingly nodded, he went about taking care of things.

Arriving back at the club, neither of them was in any particular mood to hang around for too long, so they quickly left, apparating to Hogsmeade and walking back to Hogwarts. Caught up in their own thoughts a heavy silence fell between them. Finally as they began to approach the castle, Hermione asked the question that had been bothering her. "Draco, you wouldn't have really killed him, would you have?"

He shrugged his shoulders, refusing to meet her eyes. "You really shouldn't ask questions when you aren't prepared to accept the answers."

She nodded her head, in his own oblique way, he had given her the answer she had expected. "Why?"

"Did I ever tell you about Maddie?" Draco abruptly changed the subject, an odd note of . . . tenderness crept in his voice. Startling Hermione enough that she stoped dead in her tracks to stare at him, but his eyes were inwardly focused and a soft heather grey shade.

"Maddie?" She barely breathed, afraid of spooking him back into silence.

"Madeline Malfoy, my sister."

For the second time in nearly as many seconds, Hermione was stunned. "You have a sister?!?" It was only until he responded that she realized that the words escaped her lips.

"I _had_ a sister." Hermione froze, instantly concerned at his sudden lack of emotion. "If she hadn't been murdered, the two of you would have gotten along. You're a lot like in her in some ways – that's probably the reason I noticed you as early as I did in first year."

"What happened?" She asked quietly, carefully placing a light hand on his forearm. His muscles bunched up under her touch and she had to force herself to keep from flinching away from him.

He glanced down at her hand on his arm almost like he was seeing something alien. "She was so beautiful, Hermione. The only truly goodness that ever came out of Malfoy Mansion." He paused, his face expressionless, except for a distant, faraway look in his eyes and Hermione knew he was seeing something else, somewhere else. "I was nine when it happened, the summer just before I came to Hogwarts, and Maddie was sixteen. My father was the one who ordered it, but that bastard Gage . . . "

Draco trailed off briefly, before he continued and she could hear the violence in him just barely restrained. "He was the one who actually did it. He slit her throat and bled her dry. When it was clear that ritual was a failure, they all left without even a shred of remorse, back up to their party. I don't know if Lucius forgot that I was there or if it just amused him to leave me there, but eventually the Imperious curse wore off. But by then, it was far too late, of course. Rigor mortis had already set it and she was cold, Hermione, so unbelievably cold." His voice broke painfully for a moment. "I remember pulling Maddie into my lap, it was difficult because she was so stiff. I desperately wanted to clean her up, because I knew how much she would've hated looking that way. I sat there with her body for what seemed like hours, maybe it was, I don't know. The next thing I remember was waking in the morning in my bed, like nothing had ever happened."

"Oh my God, Draco." Hermione's eyes were bright with unshed tears. Unconsciously her hand tightened on his arm as she listened to him, growing more horrified by the moment. She could feel her heart lurching in her chest. "I am so sorry."

"Yeah. Me too." Draco pulled out a cigarette and quickly lit it, the brief flash of light made the hollows of his cheekbones stand out, as he stubbornly refused to meet her eyes. "Don't look at me like that." His voice was flat, calm . . . dangerous. "I don't need your pity, Hermione. That is the absolute _last_ thing I would ever want from you." She felt a chill she couldn't quite suppress run up her spine and took a deep breath to steady herself, before she raised her eyes to his. Without thinking about it, she pulled her hand back and wrapped both of her arms around herself. The ice in his eyes melted a few degrees as he focused on her and she sighed in relief. He shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Then again," he mused aloud, "Nietzsche was insane. I don't know."

"Why are you telling me all this? You never tell me anything and now you start telling me all of this. Why?" Hermione flinched, but it was too late. Her thoughts were spoken, before she could even think to call them back. To her surprise, he didn't seem offended or taken aback.

"You wanted to know why, aside from tonight, I wanted him dead. Now you know. I don't even really know why I spared him tonight, chances are that I'll wind up regretting that mistake, but it's done now. But next time," and he paused, drawing his words out slowly, "next time, he dies."

"Draco – " she began impassionedly.

"No, Hermione." He held up his hand against her. "I don't want to hear it. Somehow despite everything that you've seen and everything that you know, you still have this naïve belief in 'what is right and what is wrong,' 'the good guys vs the bad guys.' It must be nice to live in a world where things are so clearly defined, but in the real world, things are never that simple. This is a war and there is no honor in war, it's all just a matter of survival. Everybody from Dumbledore to Voldemorte is more than willing to use whoever they can to achieve whatever they want."

"I know that – "

"No, no, you don't." He cut her off again, his voice growing more exasperated. "If you did, we wouldn't be having this bloody conversation. I don't know why or how the hell you managed it, but you can stand there and argue morality with me, when it's all bullshit! Killing Gage wouldn't be murder, even ignoring what he tried to do tonight, it's the closest thing to justice that I know. He deserves to die and I've more than earned the right to kill him. Good and evil are nothing more than abstracts."

"That's not true!" Hermione yelled back at him, sick of being ignored. "If it was, aside from your need for vengeance, you would never have passed information to our side."

He laughed cynically. "Have you ever met Voldemort?" At her disbelieving stare, he continued. "He's a joke, Hermione, nothing more than your average mass-murdering fuckhead and believe me, I'd know. I've met more than a few in my life. Assuming that the deatheaters actually did win, where do you think it would stop? After conquering the wizarding world, they would move onto the muggle world and eventually they would turn on each other, self-destructing and taking everything else down with them. Only death lies that way, I know it, anyone even halfway intelligent would see it, but they're too caught up in their power hungry ambitions. It's absurd. I choose to help Dumbledore because I'm not particularly suicidal, not out of any misguided ideals."

"I'm not Harry fucking 'Saint' Potter, Hermione. I'm not the hero or even a good guy here and you had best understand that. No matter what I do or who I align myself with, it's a fairly good certainty that I won't survive this. I know that, but I'm trying to find a way, anyway." She reached out her hand to him, only to have him roughly shrug it off. "You're on Dumbledore's side with all your little friends, Lucius is on Voldemorte's with the rest of Slytherin, and I'm on my side, Hermione, 'cause Merlin knows that no one else is."

He stopped abruptly and she walked right into him. Despite the obvious anger in his words and the tension in his body, his hands gently pushed her back onto her feet. "Here's the tower, you should be fine on your own now." And without a backward glance, he turned on his heel and walked off into the darkness. Hermione watched the moonlight glinting in his hair and the burning tip of his cigarette, before he viciously stubbed it out and his figure faded into the night. She realized that she was still clenching his jacket around her and took a hesitant step in his direction. Before she turned and instead walked up to the door and quietly let herself in.

Standing off into the shadows, unseen by either student, Dumbledore shook his head regretfully and stroked his beard.

TBC 

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. Don't forget reviews are like candy & I'm nothing if not a sugar addict. So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)


	29. Sacrifices To Be Made

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;). And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Anyway, let's skip anymore of the AN & get back into the story . . .

Chapter 29 - Sacrifices To Be Made

"Harry, are you paying any attention at all?" Ron demanded, throwing his hands up in despair. Their bloody Potion presentation was due tomorrow and not only were they were utterly unprepared, but Harry was completely useless, staring off into space. Ron shook his head in exasperation, turning back to his scroll and suspiciously green potion. Supposed to be purple, my ass, he rolled his eyes, as he tried to figure out what ingredient he forgot.

Of course, Harry had heard Ron, but was just ignoring him. He had bigger problems to deal with than a potion. Between Hermione and Malfoy, Pavarti practically stalking him and Sirius suddenly being engaged (and he still hadn't quite wrapped his mind around that concept), who the hell had time to worry about class or Voldemorte for that matter? Harry unconsciously frowned. If it weren't for that bastard, than he wouldn't be in this bloody disaster that he now called his life. Hermione wouldn't hate him. She'd go back to despising Malfoy as usual, and be able to set both Pavarti and Sirius straight. Things all started to go wrong during that mission.

/Flashback to nearly 2 and a half months ago/

Harry sat across from Dumbledore, Ron was next to him and gathered around were a few members of the Order of the Phoenix – Lupin, Snape and Sirius among others. Listening to the plan, Harry felt increasingly uneasy, wishing that Hermione were here. Dumbledore's suggestion that they exclude her felt distinctly wrong and weighed heavily upon him. Although he couldn't image attempting something of this magnitude without Ron, Harry knew that if given a choice, he'd pick Hermione in a heartbeat. It was tough call to make, even tougher to implement, but between the two of them, not only was Hermione the more competent, but she was also the one least likely to panic and would keep her wits about her. God know that she pulled the three of them out of trouble more than once, simply by being there and knowing the correct counter curse or spell. Doing this without her was a scary proposition and just seemed . . . wrong.

"Professor Dumbledore, are you sure we should go ahead and do this without her?" He asked again, unable to quell his doubts.

"Ahhh Harry, I understand your reluctance to leave her behind, but during circumstances like this certain sacrifices must be made." Dumbledore's voice slipped into a very soothing, almost grandfatherly tone, which in retrospect, Harry realized that perhaps he should have been suspicious of at the time. "While I'm sure Miss Granger would be up to the task at hand, I must insist that you keep to the plan. You must trust me when I say that it is critical that she remain on the school grounds and unaware of the details of the plan."

Still not entirely convinced, but as Harry glanced around, it seemed like he was the only dissenter. Seeing that he wouldn't get any support, he shrugged his shoulders and decided to concede. Looking back on it, he knew that, in truth, he just caved in.

/End Flashback/

Harry ran his hand through his hair and sighed cynically, wondering if Dumbledore's 'certain sacrifices' included his friendship with Hermione. He hated the fact that he was even thinking such things, but then again, it wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten screwed by the headmaster. Harry wanted to smash his head against the table. If only he had followed his impulse at the time and ran off to tell Hermione everything, then maybe everything wouldn't have gotten so fucked up. Maybe then he'd actually have a girlfriend who gave a damn about him as something more than a status symbol to brag about to her catty friends.

At this point, he was willing to do just about anything to fix things, hell, he'd thrown himself on her mercy, if he thought that there'd be any to find. But how was he supposed to tell her how sorry he was and that, by the way, he had just realized that he was in love with her, when every time he saw her, she was glued to Malfoy. The very thought of the Syltherin was enough to make him punch the table. Ron gave him a quick sidelong glance, with a wary eye that he was still oblivious to, before shaking his head and turning back to the disaster, otherwise known as their potions project.

Harry knew he had to figure out a way to show Draco up for the cold-blooded bastard he was, but he had no idea how to do it. And whatever he wound up doing, he had make sure that he did it in a way that no one could connect to him, because Hermione would never forgive him. Afterwards he would make sure that he was conveniently around to console her. He smiled in satisfaction. All he needed now was the perfect dupe.

Turning to face Ron to share his brilliant realization, Harry was hit in the face by a spray of green gob as the potion exploded. Ron turned his equally splattered face towards Harry and closed his eyes, shaking his head. He wiped his face with one hand and opened his eyes, staring at the green goo smeared across his hand and basically coating everything in a five-foot radius, cursing blackly under his breath. All Ron wanted to know was where the hell was Hermione when he actually needed her?

It had been a rough day and she was not looking forward to her detention session today. Things between her and Draco had been painfully stilted today and it bothered her more than she wanted to contemplate. She knew he was waiting for her to break down first and as much as it hurt her pride to admit it, she knew she was nearly at that point. It was just so frustrating because while she hadn't meant to, she had obviously hit a sensitive nerve and he was just taking advantage of it. If he had been anyone else she would have been perfectly content to wait them out, but of course this _was_ Draco Malfoy, the most stubborn person she knew. As prideful as she might be, she knew that he was at least twice as bad as her and unlike her, if he felt compelled too, he'd wait forever and that was simply unacceptable. Sighing, she resolved to break the icy standoff when she saw him later, but damnit, for the record, she was not happy about it!

Hermione was arguing with herself as she rushed through the hallways on her way to Arthimancy, when she suddenly collided with someone as she turned the corner. She looked up to apologize, but was startled to see Dumbledore calmly levitating the books she had dropped.

"A bit distracted today, are we, Miss Granger?" He stood back, waiting for her to pluck the books from the air.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Headmaster," she sputtered out, quickly collecting her books into a manageable pile in her arms.

"No, no, my dear." He waved away her objections. "I'm afraid that in this instance, I am entirely at fault. I was actually waiting for you before your next class." At her look of surprise, he continued, "I was hoping to persuade you to come to my office for a brief chat."

"Ummm, right now, sir?" Despite herself, she found herself slowly attempting to edge her way past him in the hallway. For some reason she couldn't quite place her finger on, she was strangely disinclined towards spend any significant amount of time with him. "I was just on my way to class and I'm actually running a bit late as it is – " She let her words deliberately hang in the air, hoping that that he'd let her off the hook.

"Oh, yes, I know. I've already spoken to Professor Owens who has agreed to excuse you from class today." His cheerful response did little to soothe her.

Feeling a bit as if she had just been railroaded, and unable to think of a way to gracefully bow out, Hermione reluctantly nodded her head in agreement. As she silently followed him, she tried to convince herself that she was just unsettled by her conversation with Draco last night and just being paranoid, but she couldn't quite shake a nagging sense that something was not quite right. Her anxiety grew as they walked, wondering what this was all about. Was she in trouble or what?

As they entered his office, Dumbledore bid her to sit down. She hesitantly perched herself on the edge of the nearest chair, while he walked around his desk and seated himself. Resting his elbows on his desk, his fingers idly formed a pyramid shape in the awkward silence, broken by Fawkes' occasional squawks. Looking at the tense girl across from him, he suppressed a heavy sigh. There really was no easy way to initiate this conversation, but it had to be done. He knew that he would have to choose his words carefully. Any misstep now would send a number of his plans in utter disarray. "Hermione, it's come to my recent attention that you've been spending a great deal of time with Draco Malfoy."

Oh God, here it comes. She closed her eyes tightly. This was it. She was going to get lectured or even possibly expelled. She was going to have to kill Draco, when she got a hold of him.

Dumbledore chuckled and her eyes flew open in confusion. "No, nothing as dire as all that, Miss Granger. You're not in trouble, on the contrary, I'd like to applaud you for being able to overlook house boundaries in a way that I wish more of your fellow students would follow. In fact, I think that a friendship between you and Mr Malfoy would be good for both of you."

But this is where the situation grows tricky, he thought to himself. According to the reports he had heard throughout the day from various teachers, but especially Snape, things were more than a bit strained between them. Based from what he had seen and overheard last night, he could hazard a guess why, but whatever the reasons, he couldn't allow this breach between them to grow. "I've been carefully observing your relationship and noticed . . . a slight disagreement between the two of you and I was wondering if perhaps you might want to discuss it?"

Hermione tilted her head slightly and her eyes grew wide as she briefly pondered the absurdity of discussing her love life with the headmaster, at a complete loss for words. "Ummm . . . ummm . . . " She gave up any hope of being articulate, honestly not knowing what to say to that very loaded question.

"I find it interesting that you've accomplished what most young witches at this school would love to do – capturing the interest of both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Two young men, so different, and yet so similar in ways, I'd dare say that they would both adamantly deny."

"Similar?" Hermione questioned, choosing what she felt was the least likely to further involve her in a conversation that she would dearly like to avoid, when it became more than obvious that he was waiting for a response from her.

"They've both lived difficult lives, far more harsh then they ever should have had to endure. In Harry's case, we were able to place him with his muggle relatives, hardily an ideal situation, but it insulated him from the dangers of the wizarding world. Whereas with Draco," Dumbledore slowly stood up and shook his head, "I'm afraid that in many ways we sorely failed in our duty to protect him. Has he told you of his sister yet?"

She audibly gasped. "You know what happened to her?

"Yes," Dumbledore kept his voice purposefully level despite his internal anxiety about how she might react. "Lucien had her home schooled, tutors and so forth in an effort to keep her existence as much as a secret as possible, so that when he sacrificed her in the **Sacrum Haurire ritual**, no one would even miss her."

"Wait. . . " Hermione paused, trying to collect her thoughts for once, instead of blurting something out instinctively. Perhaps she had misunderstood. "You mean that you knew what was happening?" In the silence, he wouldn't meet her eyes and she felt something begin to unravel inside of her. How could this be? She waited impatiently for him to deny her accusation, her shock growing by the second. "You did, didn't you? You knew and you let him do it. . . You knew and you just left Draco there, with them." Her words dripped with disdain. "How could you?" She breathed out, before dropping her eyes to stare blankly at the floor.

He sighed heavily. "I know it might be difficult for you to understand this, Hermione, but there are certain events in this life that we simply cannot interfere with," no matter how much we may wish to, he ended silently in his head.

"Cannot or _will not_?" Her voice was harsher than he had ever heard it before. Shaking her head, she stood up, her eyes full of a painful mixture of horrified disbelief and betrayal, and began walking out of the room. Standing in the doorway, she faced the hallway. "With all due respect sir, I'd like to remind you that despite the circumstances, the ends rarely justify the means." Then she walked out, without so much as a backwards glance.

Watching her as she left, Dumbledore slumped back into his seat and wearily leaned back.

"Was that really necessary, Albus?" Phineas Black asked from his portrait, peering down from his portrait.

"You know that it was." He replied without looking up. "Whatever happened between them, obviously shook her up and that could potentially jeopardize all of our plans. I've only given her the excuse that she was waiting for to resolve things with him." Dumbledore closed his eyes, rubbing them tiredly.

"But did you have to be so hard on her? You do realize that she will not be quick to forgive you for this." The former headmaster laced his words with acid.

"We all have our burdens to bear and sacrifices to be made in this. He has the greater need for her than anyone else, including Harry. If she must choose a side, it is imperative that she chooses his, otherwise everything else we have done is all for naught."

"I agree, of course." Black's voice sobered for a moment, "but it does seem too great a burden to be placed on ones so young."

Outside of his office, Hermione wandered through the halls aimlessly, with no particular direction in mind. Her perspective of the world had suddenly taken a 180 and she was playing catch up. When she had woken up this morning, she had been torn. On one hand, she felt guilty as hell. If she had known the history between Draco and that deatheater, she would have approached this situation differently, she wouldn't have let Draco kill Gage, but she would have tried to find a different way to reason with him. And what happened to his sister . . . She shook her head. She had heard of similar Dark Arts rituals, but nothing of that scope happening in the past few centuries and to make Draco watch it . . . It was just sick.

Hermione made a mental note to research the spell later on, because the more she thought about it, the more the name sounded familiar and if it was what she thinking of – she closed her eyes, not really wanting to think about it. In her head, she replayed her conversation with Dumbledore, interwoven with Draco's comments from last night. A wave of guilt swept through her as she remembered his stone like persona earlier today in Potions class.

/Flashback/

Fully aware of the stares from her housemates, Hermione slid quietly into her seat at a desk squarely located in the middle of the room, the closest thing to neutral ground. After a moment, Draco strode into the classroom, as if he owned it. He paused for a moment, carefully surveying the room, his hair hanging low in his face. Slowly, he made his way across the room, before he took the empty seat next to her, without a word. Giving him a quick sidelong glance, she felt the need to say _something_, but the coldly impassive expression on his face stopped her dead.

And any hopes she might have had that things would improve over the class period were to be sorely disappointed. They completed that day's assignment in a very civil if chilly manner, only speaking when absolutely necessary and even then in the most coolly polite of terms. To her disconcertion, not only did he seem oblivious to her subtle attempts at reconciliation, but also to the curious stares that they were garnering from all directions of the room. Every time she tried to talk to him, the empty look in his eyes just shut her down. She was beginning to get worried – she had seen Draco angry, playful, sarcastic, but this – it was like all the personality that made Draco, Draco, had been sucked out of him.

It was times like this where she thought comparing Draco's life to a minefield was an apt analogy. He keeps all these terrible things bottled up inside of him, and considering what he's had to grow up with, she couldn't fault him for that, but it certainly made life infinitely more difficult, when she could never be sure what might set him off. At the same time, she was also mad as hell at him, because last night wasn't her fault!

Yes, so ok, she could have handled things better, but she had no reason to suspect that anything other than the obvious was going on, because no one had clued her in. And after it was all over, he just went off on her, not even giving her a chance to defend herself. Under the circumstances, she had just gave up and let him say his peace, since that was what he seemed to need, but it was still unreasonable of him. And now he was just sitting there, punishing her. She knew damn well that he was waiting for her to apologize, and perhaps it was petty of her, but didn't want to be the one to give in. Ironically, she knew that inadvertently she was the one in the wrong, and had shown up this morning with every expectation of apologizing, but his behavior was making her feel oddly perverse.

For his part in all this, Draco was not ignoring Hermione so much, as that he was running mentally on autopilot, his mind almost entirely focused on reliving the events of last night. While he still believed in what he said and did last night, he wondered if perhaps he had exposed too much of himself. That was the problem with getting too emotional. He forgot to pull his punches and walked the very fine line between scaring the hell out of her and what? He may have said too much for her to accept it or him. The quick darting looks he kept getting from her didn't exactly help to inspire his confidence. He could see the fear in her eyes and it was like a stabbing feeling in his chest.

Seeing Gage last night made him furious, but he wasn't angry with her and despite everything he had said, he sure as hell hadn't meant to take it out on her. But judging by her behavior, not only did she not want to talk to him, she was apparently too scared to even look at him. Brilliant. Now he had to decide exactly how selfish he was going to be with her. If he wanted to, he knew that he could still convince her to continue this relationship, but she was appearing on too many people's hit lists for his taste. Getting any further involved would only up the stakes and if he screwed up, she might die as a result.

Damn, he hated ethical dilemmas. If he only knew for a fact that he'd survive, then he'd just drop off her somewhere safe until he was finished and return for her afterward, keeping her entirely out of all it – damn the consequences. But since he couldn't guarantee that he'd be alive to retrieve her, when this was all over, that was out of the question. His life really sucked. Of course, he laughed grimly to himself, it might all be a moot point anyway, if she hated him. Not that it would necessarily stop him, but it would make things far more difficult.

His sudden burst of laughter startled Hermione and she turned to him, trying to decipher what was going through his head. The blank expression on his face broke for a moment and she decided to seize her chance. Her timing, however, was off. Class was just ending and Draco stood up in a smooth motion and walked out of the room.

/End Flashback/

Based on what she had heard from Dumbledore, it confirmed everything Draco had said last night. She wondered if he was aware that Dumbledore knew what had happened to Madeline. Not to mention why Dumbledore had made such a point of mentioning it to her, it was just so bizarre. And then there was Draco, Hermione sighed, she didn't know what she was going to say to him, but whatever it was, she should do it soon. Checking the time, she realized that she had spent more time woolgathering than she had thought, she had missed dinner and was running late for detention. They still had to finalize everything for their presentation tomorrow, never mind everything else that was going on.

When she finally got down to the Potions classroom, Draco was just finishing up with their Aphrodite potion and carefully pouring the steaming brew into an empty bottle. She hesitated in the doorway, unsure of her reception. "You can come in or leave. I'm nearly finished with the potion itself and you already have all the background info for the presentation in the folder I gave you last week. We can just call a night now, if you'd prefer." Draco's low voice startled her.

The way he knew when she was around was almost uncanny. "Ummm, no. Actually, I was hoping we could talk." Her voice was quieter than she meant it to be.

"Is that you want or what you feel you should do?" He sounded very cool and remote as he kept his back to her.

She sighed as she walked toward him. "You're really not going to make this easy on me, are you?"

A corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smirk that he was glad she couldn't see. "Should I?"

Hermione shook her head as she pulled up aside him and sat down on a chair that she dragged next to him. Staring at the top of his head, as he studiously kept his eyes focused on the potion in front of him, she rested her chin on her hand propped up on the table. "Come on, Draco, won't you even look at me?" She coaxed him, forcing her voice to take on a teasing lilt that she didn't really didn't feel. Waiting to see if her ploy would work, she held her breath and had to fight back her smile of victory, when his head lifted up to face hers.

Cinnamon eyes met silver, curiously lit up with a strange sort of amusement. "Trying to use my own tactics against me, hmmm? Very clever, Hermione, but you're going to have to do better. You're going to have to explain what you want, because what I said last night still stands. I'm not, nor ever will be, a charity case. Be here because you want to be here, not because you feel that you have to out of pity, sympathy or any other bullshit. I don't need that from anyone, least of all from you."

Biting her lower lip, she searched for right words to express how she felt, without him shutting down on her. "Draco, I'm not going to lie to you, I feel terrible about what happened, but I don't think any differently about you today than I did yesterday, regardless of last night."

He arched an eyebrow sardonically at her. "Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?"

"Dammit, Draco! Are you going to listen to me or not? I'm trying to apologize to you, but you make it so difficult, do you know that?" Hermione exploded, her cheeks lightly flushed.

Watching her get increasingly flustered, Draco lazily smiled. "Well, if you wanted to apologize, then why didn't you just say so?" When it looked like she wasn't going to show, he had gotten worried, but since she seemed to be more worried about what he thought of her as opposed to what she thought of him, maybe he was in the clear. Apparently, she thought that she was at fault, while he didn't understand it, he was more than willing to capitalize on it and using that logic, he figured that maybe he'd let her off the hook . . . this time and he smirked at the thought.

"You suck, but you know that, right?" Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes, as she relaxed back into her seat. This wasn't exactly the conversation she had intended to have and there were still many things that they needed to discuss, but at least he was actually talking again as opposed to the monosyllabic responses she was getting earlier in the day.

Draco smirked at her, before turning his attention back to the potion. Measuring out small amount of belladonna, he quickly dumped into the vial, corked and gently shook it, watching in satisfaction as it turned a light violet color. Lifting his head, he brushed his bangs out of his face as he presented the completed potion to Hermione. "Done with that, so what did you want to do now, hmmm?"

She flashed him a quick puzzled look, unsure what he was thinking. Sometimes when she with Draco, she got lost in the layers upon layers of complicated subtleties. Did she misread the situation entirely or was he just giving her mixed signals deliberately? Did it really matter? She shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever."

Smoothly standing up, Draco slipped the potion into his bag and slung it on his shoulder, his free hand reaching out to tug Hermione up to her feet. "Come on."

Snagging her bag on her shoulder, she allowed him to lead her out of the room. "Dare I ask where we're going?"

He impishly quirked up a corner of his mouth. "You're a smart girl, Hermione. Where do _you_ think we're going?"

"Personally, I think you're up to something since I do, after all, know you Draco." She smiled sweetly at him.

Tilting his head down to face her, he broke out laughing, his lips curving into an all too rare genuine smile. Hermione felt a warm glow inside of her and an answering smile blossomed on her face. Whatever had happened last night seemed to be distant history, at least for tonight.

**Sacrum Haurire ritual** – A sacrificial blood letting. Latin, literally translated as - a holy thing or place; a sacrifice or victim / to shed blood; to drain, empty a receptacle.

TBC 

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you.

Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, I've had an unbelievably appalling bad last two weeks, which screwed me up a bit. Things aren't entirely resolved just yet, but are at least manageable so I was able to get this update out. I know there are a few unresolved questions regarding the Sacrum Haurire ritual & I promise they will be answered in due time, so never fear. I do my best not to leave plot holes & that is one of the things I love best about my readers, you and your reviews keep my on my toes. Hopefully you didn't hate the flashback format too badly, usually I prefer for the action to take place in the present, but in this instance I found it the best way to fit everything that I needed in the chapter.

Reviewing fanfic is good for your karma (& makes your author feel much better about life in general, especially when it's recently sucked beyond belief, lol). So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)


	30. Consider Yourself Challenged

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;) This chapter is a bit of a good news/bad news situation. This story was always intended to become NC17, but since instituted it's now infamous NC17 ban, I was forced to edit this chapter, but I still think it's pretty good & hopefully you'll agree. And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Anyway, let's skip anymore of the AN & get back into the story . . .

Chapter 30 - Consider Yourself Challenged

Sitting on Draco's bed, Hermione felt painfully awkward, wondering if it was too late to back out of this. She watched him snag a remote control next to him. Driving music began pouring through the speakers around them and pressing a few buttons, he lowered it to conversational level.

"What are we listening to?" She asked after a moment.

"It's a mix – at this moment? The Misfits, 'Die, Die, My Darling.' " Hermione's eyes widened at this bit of information. Draco only raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Ummm, it's kinda late and we do have that presentation tomorrow. I'm thinking maybe I should get back to my room and review our notes on it."

Draco shot her an impatient and exasperated look, before shrugging off his robe. Balling it up, he tossed it into a corner across the room. "Will you just chill out, for Merlin's sake? It's not like I'm planning to jump you," he lied through his teeth. "Or kill you, if that's what you're worried about, believe me, if I had just wanted _that_, hell, if I wanted either one, I would've done it a long time ago." He shook his head in an exaggerated sense of amazement, before he stripped off his shirt. "Bloody luck, not only is she a virgin, but a Gryffindor to boot . . . ," he grumbled under his breath.

Hermione was surprised first at his words, then at his actions, although she was relieved to see his pale skin free of the terrible bruising from the last time she had seen him. Blinking against the distracting sight in front of her, she decided to disregard his words for the moment and smiled despite herself. "You don't really expect to believe that, do you?"

Quickly pulling on an old Descendants t-shirt, his head popped though the neckline. Taking a moment to rake his hand through his tousled hair, he pushed it back and let it fall, framing his face. "Well, no, not really, but I was hoping it might." He shrugged ruefully, a playful smile playing across his face. Watching her lean back and relax was worth getting laughed at, because he knew that he definitely wasn't going to get anywhere with her if she was so obviously uncomfortable.

Pulling up a chair from the far wall, he settled across from her and sat down, his legs sprawled out in front of him. "See, I'm being very good." He raised his hands, palms up in placating gesture. Reaching off to his left, he grabbed his pack of cigarettes and lit one up. "Perfectly harmless, one might even say."

"Yeah, right. I don't think anyone would ever say that about you." She replied tauntingly, falling easily back into their usual pattern of teasing each other. There was a certain amount of pleasure in baiting him that she never got quite enough of. She slipped off her robe, and laid it down just short of the foot of the bed. The music changed to something more melodic that she recognized from the club, 'Pictures of You' by the Cure and she found her slowly nodding her head to the beat as she waited for his comeback.

"Oh, I'm really hurt by that, Hermione." He shook his head as if disappointed. "And here I was trying to be a gentleman."

"Ha. You wish, Malfoy."

Arching an eyebrow, he countered. "Are you impugning my honor?"

"And if I am?" Her smile turned smug.

Draco took a deep drag off his cigarette. "If you're trying to challenge me, my dear, feel free to, but remember that you will, of course, lose."

She gave him a long look, before daring him. "Well then, consider yourself challenged."

He smirked. Sometimes it was just too easy, even for him. Reaching over, he stubbed out the cigarette. Next to the ashtray was a slim vial that he snatched and quickly tossed back. "As the challenged, it is my privilege to chose not only the time and place, but also the particular terms of the challenge." Standing up, he rose smoothly, dropped the empty vial into a wastebasket and stalked towards her. Placing one knee on the bed just outside of her leg, he leaned into her body, forcing her to inch back. Inch by inch, he followed her until her back was against the wall and pillows. Straddling her body with his palms flat against the wall on either side of her head, he lightly rested himself on her upper thighs using just enough weight to hold her firmly in place. "Looks to me like you lost before you even began."

Staring up at him, Hermione mused, "How does that saying go?" A mischievous smile lit up her face as her hands rose up to trail along his chest. "Oh, yeah. I remember now – 'I haven't begun to fight'." Without warning, she suddenly pushed against him.

Draco smirked and letting her momentum carry him, he leaned back, pulling her with him, before rolling over and taking the dominant position again. Looking down at her squirming figure underneath him, he had to resist the impulse to gloat. "Now what was it you were saying," he casually asked, while he collected both her wrists in one hand and pinned them down to the bed above her head. Propping up on one elbow, he rested his chin on his splayed out fingers, his face mere inches away from hers.

She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to pull her hands free while attempting to buck him off of her at the same time. "You haven't won yet, you know." Her breath was heavy with her exertion.

Sliding one leg securely between hers, he adjusted his weight onto his other arm, forcing her imprisoned wrists even deeper into the bed, while his other hand trailed a path along her check and down her throat. "Hermione, I won this particular battle a long time ago and if you're honest, you'll admit it." Watching her, his mouth closed over hers to stop the stream of words about to tumble from her lips.

For a long moment, she struggled against him, caught up in heat of their argument, before giving into the unyielding pressure of his kiss. As much fun as it was to spar with Draco, she didn't really want to fight him and that kiss . . . she always wanted to melt into his kiss. Feeling her quick response, Draco's hand loosened around her wrists to twist into her hair, slanting her head slightly. Her hands slid up to his shoulders, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away and his mouth gentled upon hers. He parted her lips with his tongue and was exploring her mouth in a way that sent chills down her spine as she began to relax underneath him.

Against her back, she was just aware the coolness of the sheets, under her, in sharp contrast to warmth radiating off Draco. All the arguments, pro and cons about whether she was ready to take this step faded away and all she could concentrate on was the feel of him against her. His fingers seemed to burn her skin as they glided along the exposed sliver of her stomach just below the hemline of her shirt. Hermione broke the kiss abruptly, pushing him to the side. Looking down at him a wicked smile curved her lips, her arms crisscrossed in front of her as she pulled off her top and then slipped off her bra. Maybe she was just 'a virgin' but like any other subject that peaked her interest, she had done her research and was more than ready to put it to use.

Draco stretched out, half on his side, watching her, one arm tucked behind his head. He wasn't particularly adverse to her taking a more active role, or at least not in these early stages, anyway, and a slow knowing smile crossed his lips. So if she wanted to play, he was more than willing to follow her lead, up to a certain point, of course.

With one hand, she shoved him onto his back and then quickly straddled him. Sitting on his lower stomach, she rested her hands on his shoulders as she shimmied her way down lower, until she could feel him pressed up against her. Slowly, she initiated a rhythm, a gentle rolling of her hips above him, taking great pleasure in watching his expression change as he reacted to her movements. The molten silver glow of his eyes in the dim light of the room tempted her and she impatiently tugged off his t-shirt, wanting to even the playing field.

With a faint smile, he obliged her by pushed himself off the bed for a moment to make it easier for her, while snaking an arm around her back to keep her from slipping off his lap. "Like what you see?" His voice was low and she was surprised to realize that not only could she hear, but also feel the faint rumble of his words.

She took full advantage of her position to run her fingers softly over his stomach, lightly raking her nails along his skin and was rewarded when she felt the muscles tense and ripple beneath her touch, before responding. "Hmmmm, it's ok . . . I guess." Then leaning forward, she caught his lips, no teasing flicks of her tongue, just a demand that he willing responded to. His hand reached up to tangle in her hair as their tongues danced together, his other hand pressed in the small of her back urging her impossibly closer.

Draco's eyes were burning into hers and he suddenly shifted his hold on her. One arm sliding around her shoulders, the other hand firmly on her backside, and then with a quick, smooth surge he had lifted himself up and over until he was gazing down at her rather than up, their lips never having parted. She was still catching her breath at the strength required by that seemingly effortless movement, when his mouth broke away from hers. "Just ok?" He imperiously arched an eyebrow, waiting for her response, his face mere inches away from hers.

She never tired of just looking at him. In the semi-darkness, his icy silver eyes were staring into hers, his skin was like moonlight stretched over muscles and bones, and his paler than blonde hair hung free around his face. There was a certain quality of brokeness about him made him seem frighteningly beautiful. Hermione needed to touch him for a moment just to reassure herself that he was real. Her fingers trailed along his high cheekbone, before ghosting down the slightly damp skin of the back of his neck to rest on his shoulder, pulling him back down to her. And a smile curled his lips. A smile that could have been gentle but was not. Yet for all that, it was not cruel either.

"You still haven't answered my question yet, Hermione," he whispered lightly in her ear, his voice was husky and low. The silken strands of his hair brushed along the sensitized skin of her throat. "Perhaps more persuasion is needed . . . " His words drifted off as his lips wandered along the curve of her jaw line and down her neck, dropping light opened-mouth kisses.

One hand crept across along her side and began delicately tracing circles that grew ever tighter around the curve of her breast. His fingers just reached the edge of her aureole, when he flattened his hand and brushed his palm against her erect flesh. After a moment, his fingers curved and his nails dug deeply into the tender skin as he raked his nails upward, leaving faint red marks behind. Rough fingers teased her sensitive nipple, twisting cruelly and forcing a gasp from her parted lips. Draco dropped his head, taking her nipple into his mouth his tongue soothing it gently, while he began paying attention to her other and until now neglected breast.

Hermione made no protest as his free hand fumbling first with the button and then the zipper of her skirt. Instead, she bit her lower lip and lifted her body slightly, as he hurriedly yanked her skirt and panties down to her ankles, before she kicked them off. Her hand slipped into his hair, fist clenching tightly as she tugged, pulling his head up to hers. He paused for a moment, his mouth hovering over hers as he waited, in a second that seemed impossibly drawn out, his silver eyes searching hers, before he leaned in, taking total possession of her mouth.

Moving between her thighs, she could feel the shift of his muscles under his skin and she pulled him tightly towards her, her nails lightly raking along the smooth skin of his back. Slipping one hand between their bodies, his thumb began teasing her clit and she suddenly arched up against him in response. It was too intense for Hermione, breaking off from the kiss, her breath came in shallow gasps at his ear as her lips and tongue skimmed along its delicate point. His forehead fell to rest against her shoulder, thankful that he still was wearing his jeans.

Draco took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but the feeling of her bare skin against his was almost enough to undo him. He'd been waiting for this moment for what seemed like forever and he refused to rush through it now that it was finally happening, but this was so much more difficult that he had ever expected. He closed his eyes, knowing that he wouldn't be able to take much more and he had to make sure that she would be ready for him. It was all he could do to restrain himself from ripping off his jeans and taking her right then, but at this point he didn't know how gentle he could be or how long he could last and so he forced himself to focus on her pleasure first. He refused to disappoint her – wanting to make this an experience that she would never forget.

Slipping one finger into her, he teased her, testing her readiness. She was getting close and he shivered and groaned, freezing against the sudden, almost instinctive urge to plunge into her and he almost lost control when she began to beg. Oh Merlin, but he wanted to hear her beg. . . and plead . . . and scream. He wanted to bury himself in her. . . Pulling away from her took every ounce of control he had left and when she whimpered in protest, he nearly bit his own lip bloody.

Sitting up, he quickly freed himself from his jeans. He took a moment to drink in her beauty, her pale skin gleaming slightly as she twisted on _his_ bed, reaching out to _him_. Savoring every gasp and whimper she made, then she moaned his name – the only name, he decided, that she would ever say this way. Hermione began to tremble under that gaze, she felt almost like she was melting away. Her eyes involuntarily traveled down the length of his body in admiration, until she saw _it_ for the first time

Cinnamon eyes opened wide in stunned amazement and she reached her hand out, as if to touch him there, before she thought better of it and snatched her hand back. Shaking her head, she scurried back on the bed until she hit the wall, giving her a few scant inches of space to think away from him. "Ummm, Draco?"

He dropped his gaze down his body, before looking back at her, all but trying to crawl up his wall and arched an eyebrow. "Hermione?"

"Ummmm, I'm not so sure this is going to . . . ummm, work."

"Oh, really? And praytell why?" If the situation hadn't been so bizarre, he would have dearly loved to pull up a chair and listen to the absurd argument he was sure that he was about to hear. He was caught between the impulse to say screw it and just continue or break out laughing.

"Well . . . ummm." She could feel the heat of her checks and knew that she was furiously blushing but she couldn't help herself. She couldn't believe that she was in this situation, couldn't imagine how she was supposed to explain this to him, looking at her with that near smirk on his face and most of all she _couldn't believe_ that he was actually going to make her say it. Hermione wanted to just die of embarrassment.

"Hermione?"

She swallowed deeply. "Well . . . ummm, you're a bit . . . big, you know. An- and, I just don't think that you're really going to fit." Her words spilled out in a rush as she refused to meet his eyes, which was just as well, since they were amused, as he mentally slowed down her words in his head to understand them.

Forcing himself to look and sound serious, Draco stifled his laughter. "While I appreciate the compliment and the fact that you're . . . shall we say, impressed, I assure you, Hermione, I will most definitely fit."

"I wish I could be as confident as you were." She finally looked at him, her eyes deep pools of uncertainty, before dropping just as abruptly.

"Hermione," his hand reached out to cup her cheek, as he sat down on the bed next to her, but leaving some space so he wouldn't completely spook her. He sighed for a moment, his realization that she was serious about this, overcoming his initial moment of amusement and conceit. "Don't you trust me?" His thumb tilted her chin up a shade, "Come on, not even just a little bit here?"

Bracing himself on one arm, he leaned diagonally across her body as he moved himself more fully over her.

He reached down to grasp her bare thigh and brought it high up around his waist, firmly drawing her body flush up against his. His other hand wrapped itself into the silken thickness of her hair, winding it tightly around his fist. Using his grip in her hair, he tugged her head back, exposing the bare expanse of her throat to look down at her. Her eyes seemed to be pools of melted honey almost glowing in the dim light that flickered across her face. Hermione looked back up at him, her body on fire and she was begging for release. She could feel the heat of him pressing in on her and she knew that he was holding back until she was ready for him.

"I don't want to hurt you . . " Draco breathed, but Hermione shook her head at him, stretching her neck up to kiss him into silence. Her tongue dueled his with in a battle for domination just to see who was really in control of this situation. The tension she could feel in his muscular body, the faint trembling of his bicep mere inches away from his face, the shifting under her fingertips that rested on his back, excited her even further. Despite her natural caution and uncertainty about going ahead, there was this growing desire in her to see him lose control, to push him beyond his boundaries – she wanted him to act and she wanted it now.

"I trust you, Draco." She broke away from his mouth and whispered, reaching down to taste the flesh of his shoulder where it met up with his neck. Pushing herself closer up against him, her teeth sank deeply into his flesh. He reacted instantly and with a ferocity that she hadn't expected.

The flexing of his hand tangled deep within her hair was her only warning, before he sharply yanked her head back. Her mouth opened instinctively in a gasp of surprise and pain that was swallowed by his mouth fastening tightly to hers, his tongue sweeping inside possessively, staking his claim on her in a way that was absolutely unmistakable. He had waited too long and his need for her had become an almost physical pain.

He tried to control himself, reminding himself that she _was_ a virgin, to force him to go slow, to be gentle, when all he could really think about was thrusting deep inside her. Then she had to go do something like that and shred what little of his control remained. He groaned into her mouth as he pressed himself against her hot, wet entrance and felt her tense beneath him, but he was almost beyond caring, beyond any further capacity for patience or generosity.

She wanted this, she really did. . . but when he lowered himself to her, his molten silver eyes gleaming in the light giving him a feral expression, she felt him throb against her and she couldn't suppress a sharp stab of fear. Everything so far had been wonderful, even more than she had ever imagined, but she _knew_ that this was going to hurt. She had heard her roommates and friends talking about it, everyone knew it. There was going to be blood and pain and, despite all her intentions to be brave and ride it out, she froze, shivering, with a small whimper of fear that she couldn't quite hold back as he began to press into her. Every muscle in her body tensed as she squeezed her eyes shut, held her breath and waited for the pain.

Above her, Draco held himself still for an impossibly long moment, his teeth biting into his lip again. He desperately struggled to focus on that pain, but it had little effect. You fucking bastard, he mentally castigated himself. She isn't ready yet, damnit! Hell at this point you'd be lucky if you haven't scared the hell out of her, never mind actually getting any. He just didn't have the necessary control to ease her back into arousal and grinding his back teeth, he knew that if he had any hope of stopping this, he had to do it now or else. He rested his forehead against hers for a second, forcing the air in his lungs out in a harsh sigh, before his fingers slipped free of her hair and he began to push himself off of her and to the side.

Hermione's eyes flew open and she made a small noise of protest even as she pulled him back down to her. He left out a chocked laugh. "You're killing me here. I'm trying to do the right thing for once. It's ok, if you're not ready, but we've got to end this now, Hermione, because I'm not sure I'd be able to later on."

She smiled up at him, struck by a sudden sense of amused frustration. "Draco, you're an idiot, a sweet idiot, but an idiot nonetheless. I've never done this before, so yes, I'm nervous, but I know what I want and what I want is you. Now are you going to work with me here or argue with me, instead?"

His eyes narrowed for a moment as he stared at her, unable to believe what he had just heard or the fact that she had the audacity to actually be amused about this. Hmmm, so much for his misguided sense of nobility, he mused, oh, well, fuck it. Nobility was never his strongest suit, anyway. Capturing her lips in a deep and tender kiss, he slowly began to slide himself into her. He could feel her tension beneath him and wanted to reassure her, but it was taking every ounce of control he still possessed to take it slow for her, to not hurt her any more than he could possibly avoid.

* * *

Naughty bits section censored

to preserve FF's

delicate sensibilities.

If you wish to be corrupted,

please read the ending AN note

or just go straight to my user page.

* * *

Lying in his arms, her head resting over his heart, she sighed contently, as he carefully lift her body up for a moment before pulling the sheet over the two of them. Draco favored her with a smile, as he ran his fingers through her hair that rested across his chest, taking his time untangling her curls. Hermione rubbed her cheek against his smooth skin. Despite her best effort to stay awake, her eyelids began to grow heavier, his fingers were just too relaxing and too soothing for her to resist the lure of sleep any longer. When he heard her breathing begin to slow down and regulate, he brushed the sweep of her hair hiding her face from him and had to stop himself from laughing, afraid the vibrations would awake the sleeping girl in his arms. Instead he gently pulled her tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head.

* * *

Hermione felt an unusually strong sense of warmth and safety that seemed to wrap itself around her. Snuggling deeper into her pillow, she tried to wrap her arms around it and was puzzled by the fact that it was hot and hard to the touch. She opened an eye curiously and was startled to see skin, jerking her head up she realized that she must have fallen asleep on Draco. Quickly closing her eyes, she tried to find her way back into that state between sleep and true awareness. But as hard as she tried to fade back into oblivion, there was a nagging worry that continued to trouble and prod her into trying to remember . . . "Oh fuck!" 

Opening his eyes, Draco blinked for a moment, the soft grey color almost crystallizing into iron as he read the panic in her face. He quickly shot up into a sitting position, poised for action as he carefully scanning the room for any visible threat and finding none. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him in horror. "Draco . . . I'm not . . .I mean, we didn't -" Her voice broke as he impatiently waited for her to continue. Her eyes dropped to stare at the sheet, as she picked at it with her fingers, her voice very quiet. "We didn't use any protection."

"Oh . . . is that all you're worried about?" She looked up at him in shock and was more than a bit outraged to see him laughing slightly.

"What is wrong with you, Draco? This is serious. I . . . I could be pregnant."

"Shhhh," he reached out and pulled her into his arms. She squirmed for a moment, trying to break free and he just tightened his hold on her, dropping a light kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry so much, I'm not that careless, you know. Trust me, you're not pregnant. Remember that potion I took last night?" She pulled back enough for him to see her slightly frowning as she tried to think back. She had a vague recollection . . .

"You mean after your cigarette?"

"Yep. Well it's a Zwanger, I had it already prepared and it lasts for 48 hours, so you're definitely not pregnant."

Zwanger potion, Zwanger potion. Hermione wracked her brain, it wasn't a potion she was familiar with but, recognizing it as a Dutch word, she mentally translated it. "A pregnancy potion?" Her voice tinged on the absurd.

"Well, almost . . . it has the opposite effect, actually."

"Ahhh, I see. How very . . . forward minded of you, Draco."

He smirked. "Yeah, that's me, babe. Now that we've got that problem solved, we still have – " he reached past her to pull open a drawer in his nightstand and lifted an alarm clock. He glanced at it for a moment, before dropping it and slamming the drawer shut. "Anyway, as I was saying, we still have a few hours before class begins. I'm sure we can find some way to amuse ourselves, don't you think, hmmm?" He arched his eyebrow meaningfully at her, before he leaned over her in a deep kiss.

TBC

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. Don't forget reviews are like candy & I'm nothing if not a sugar addict. So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)

Apparently, many of you did not enjoy the flashback sequences in the last chapter (I only 11 reviews, felt so unloved . . .lol) um, but hopefully this chapter will be more to your satisfaction. Now as far as the lemony content, I debating long & hard over to what to do about it, because I don't want to shortchange you, nor do I want to get kicked off (if you're reading this & really have a major issue with what I have posted, do mea favor & email or review to that effect before narcing on me – I believe I kept it on the R side as opposed to NC17 & will re-edit of necessary, don't make me loose all my reviews & work, please?) For those who have waited for what seems like forever, never fear the 1500 (something) of naughty bits is available. I was going to post it on AFF, but they've down fairly frequently of late, so until I find a reliable site, the uncut lemon chapter is available only by wandering over to my user information and wandering over to LiveJournal. Hopefully this will satisfy everyone. Happy reading.


	31. Something Special Scheduled

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;) **In regards to the last chapter, the lemon** – FFnet has apparently disabled viewing email addresses in reviews, so some people who wanted the uncut version didn't (also some of your addies just didn't work). It sucks and so I've come up with yet ANOTHER solution that will hopefully work so deleting the spaces go to http : www . livejournal . com / users / kelticsoul / 84109 . html (my lj, if you need to click on the hyperlink). If this is a problem for anyone, let me know & I'll see what else I could do. And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Anyway, such a long AN – I'm sorry, let's get back into the story . . .

Chapter 31 - Something Special Scheduled . . .

Even to the most casual of observer, the waves of tension were nearly overwhelming the room. Hermione and Draco sat in their normal seats on the far end of the room, they had arrived early and prepared. Not only did they have a bottled example of the potion, the ingredients to demonstrate the making and a detailed lecture, but they had also a bottled example of the antidote, as well. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron, who had just rushed into the room, their robes waving wildly behind them, tried and failed to avoid Snape's blistering glare.

Quickly shuffling into their seats with the majority of the class staring at them curiously, Ron for one was struggling to keep himself from fleeing the scene of impending disaster and leaving Harry to face the consequences alone. As far as he was concerned, he had done all the prep work, so the actual act of giving the presentation was Harry's entire responsibility. If they both failed . . . well then, whatever and he shrugged. At this point, he really couldn't bring himself to be worried about it at all.

Hermione, on the other hand, was doing her best to maintain her composure. If Draco hadn't bullied her out of bed this morning, she would have been perfectly content ditching class for the rest of the day, presentation be damned. A secret smile crossed her lips as she remembered everything that had happened last night and what she had to look forward to tonight.

Glancing over to her, Draco smirked as he saw a faint hint of color bloom across her cheeks. She was absolutely adorable when she blushed and he could only imagine that she was thinking of last night, which had proved to be even beyond his expectations. On impulse, he reached under the table to take hold of her upper thigh, squeezing just tight enough to gain her unwavering attention. He didn't spare her so much as a look, but he could feel her small jump under his touch and her suddenly intense stare.

"You alright there?" His voice was cool in her ear as he leaned into her and she could clearly hear the just barely restrained amusement in it.

Hermione turned her head slightly in his direction. "You really are a bastard, you know that, right?"

"Perhaps so, but at the very least, you must admit that I am the bastard who adores you." His smirk widened, as her blush grew darker.

Snape stood behind his desk, surveying today's unusually talkative class, wincing at their apparent liveliness. Between the obviously unprepared duo of Potter and Weasley, to the overly cozy in public for his taste pairing of Draco and Hermione, anything could happen today. This reminded him that he was going to have to pull Draco aside before the end of this class. Considering that his latest review of potion materials and the interesting choice and amount that were missing, he could more than guess at what they had been up to of late. Normally, he tried to live in denial of his students 'extracurricular activities,' but considering the two students involved and the overall situation, being a tad bit more prudent wouldn't be a bad thing at all. This was going to be a conversation that he was going to dread. The potions master wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose, despite the prospect of the humiliation of Potter and Weasley, he had a sneaking suspicion that today was just going to be a bad day all around.

"The next person to utter a single word not pertaining to this class, shall have the great honor of spending their evenings for the next two weeks in detention with me. " Snape took a moment or two to deliver a pointed stare at a few miscreants, with a snide smile, as the noise level fell to an absolute silence.

"Excellent, I am pleased to see that you have enough discipline to at least obey the most meager of instructions when so prompted." He walked around his desk to stand in front of it. "Now today we have something special scheduled . . . hmmm, now whatever could it have be?"

Hermione's hand immediately shot up into the air as she ignored the dry arch of Draco's eyebrow next to her. Snape fought back the temptation to roll his eyes. He knew that he could always count on Miss Granger to be the first with an answer to anything. "Oh yes, now I remember. Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy in conjunction with Messers Potter and Weasley have presentations to show us today. On the Aphrodite and Brimstone and Treacle potions, respectively, I believe. The only question left, aside from who will fail and who will be moved on to glory, is who shall go first."

Ron took one glance over at the transfixed expression on Harry's face as he glared at Hermione and that git Malfoy's table and it began to disturb him. Pick us, you old bastard, pick us, damnit – the last thing I want is to follow Hermione. That is just too cruel. As if on cue, Snape's eyes caught Ron's mid-prayer and, with a sinking stomach, the redheaded Griffindor could only listen in disbelief as he heard the announcement. "Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, you may begin your presentation at your leisure."

Draco stood up, imperiously holding out a hand for Hermione to take. From the sharp glint in his eyes, she knew it wouldn't be worth the argument they'd have later on to refuse and in all honesty, she really had no desire to. A corner of his mouth rose in a faint smile as he grabbed his bag and smoothly swung it up onto his shoulder as he led Hermione down to the table brought in for this express purpose. Snape stood up, even as the volume level in the class began to reach, what for the Potion's class was, a deafening proportion at the sight of them publicly holding hands.

His eyebrows snapped ominously. "Miss Patel, congratulations, you have just acquired a two week long detention. Would anyone else like to join us?" He paused for a brief moment, before continuing, "No? Well, in that case, I would strongly suggest that you all remain silent." He waited until both Hermione and Draco sat down, before he retook his seat.

Laying out their supplies, Draco immediately slumped back into his chair – arms crossed in front of his chest, legs stretched out under the table and a sullen expression on his face. Hermione shot him an almost aghast look that he just shrugged off with a uniquely Malfoyian sneer. With a somewhat sharp elbow and the slightest nod of his head that sent his hair elegantly falling and hid most of his face from their audience, he indicated that Hermione should start and she was quick to take the hint. Flashing him a bright smile, she began her intensely researched lecture, outlining exhaustively the history, origins, magical components, significance and etc, etc of the Aphrodite potion.

For his part, Draco preferred to sit back and give Hermione her time to shine. Considering their opponents in this little competition, he figured that as much as he'd enjoying showing up Potter and the Weasel, it would be infinitely more satisfying to allow Hermione the pleasure, while he basked in the reflected glory of it. Listening to her with only one ear really, he spent most of his time scanning the expressions across the classroom, mentally taking notes of who was bored or who was gossiping. He was fully aware that they were the most likely topic for conversation and he shook his head mildly annoyed, the majority of them were just fucking peasants, who'd get theirs in the end. He paid special attention to certain people of course – Potter who was alternately giving him a death stare between gazing longingly at Hermione, it was enough to make Draco vaguely ill.

Weasley was apparently sleeping and he had to resist the temptation to break out laughing, he _almost_ felt sorry for the Gryffindor. But the impulse died when he turned to Pansy, he was all too familiar with that look in her eyes and from experience he knew that it only ever meant trouble. Staring her down, he smirked slightly when she broke eye contact with him, perhaps it was small and petty of him, but he had to admit to feeling a certain amount of satisfaction to putting her back in her place. She was definitely going to require watching anyway, at least, until he could figure out what she was up to this time.

Startled by an abrupt kick to his ankle, he looked over at the culprit, who was staring at him with a decidedly annoyed expression. Draco gave her a lazy smile and with a series of sarcastic and overly dramatic gestures, he began displaying the ingredients and before mixing them together to create the potion. Everything was pre-measured, so all he needed to do was mindlessly add and mix, per Hermione's verbal directions. Merlin, but he was bored.

Finally the potion was complete, so when Snape stood up and walked over, Draco handed him both stopped bottles for his examination. Holding them up in the air, each in one hand, the potions master admired the contrasts between the two potions. "Hmmm, excellent work." He directed his next words to the class. "You can clearly see the difference between the one that Draco just prepared and the fully completed potion. The color and clarity is particularly good considering the difficulty level involved in the brewing."

Ron picked his head off his arms folded on the table and half opened one bloodshot eye. "All that is left now is to test its effectiveness," Snape continued. Ron's other eye snapped fully open. Don't say it, Snape. Whatever you do, don't say it, he chanted to himself in his head. "Draco, would you like the honor?"

"_Sonovabitch._" Ron swore under his breath as watched Draco nod his head in agreement, before reaching out, to take the bottle, uncork it and swallow nearly a third of it. That's it - Ron shook his head. We're unbelievably screwed now and he resolved that no matter what, when it was his and Harry's turn there was no way in hell, he was going to be the one to swallow that foul concoction that he only just finished at six thirty something that morning. Looking over at Harry, he was disgusted to see that his partner's attention was focused solely on Draco.

Apparently, not only was Harry unconcerned about the prospect that one of them was going to have to sample their half-assed potion, or the fact that even if by some miracle it was even remotely accurate, they didn't have an antidote, but instead he was even more obsessed by his hatred of Draco than ever. Not that Ron would normally object to hating that Slytherin git, but under the circumstances he thought that they had a slightly more pressing problem, namely their potion presentation, or utter lack of one. Just thinking about it was enough to depress him and he closed his eyes again to rest his head back on the table, with any luck this was just a nightmare that he'd wake up from soon.

Had Ron kept his eyes open for a few seconds longer, he could have seen something truly bizarre. Harry, himself, was surprised by the note that floated over to him and snatched it in mid air. Turning slightly, he saw Pansy Parkinson smiling at him in a way that he could only describe as disturbing to his sense of the world order. He was almost afraid of opening it, considering her near maniacal smile, but his curiosity got the best of him.

"Potter,

Just to keep things clear, I hate you and you hate me, but like it or not, we have a mutual problem - you want **them** apart, as much as I do. Normally, I'd sooner kill you than look at you, but even you must admit, this is hardily a normal situation. So I propose a one-time, temporary truce. I have a plan, but unfortunately, I need your help to follow through with it. This might be our only chance, so if you're interested, meet me by the Whomping Willow tree tonight at midnight to discuss the details. If you try to double cross me, I swear that I'll see you and that mudblood bitch dead before I'm through.

Pansy"

Harry had to read through her scrawled and nearly illegible handwriting twice, before it even began to make sense to him and even then he was unsure if he could believe what she had written. Rubbing his disbelieving eyes, he read it once more to be certain, before he looked over to see her staring back at him with an impatient expression.

Pansy rolled her eyes, fucking Gryffindor scum. He shrugged stupidly at her, looking confused and she wanted to scream, how much plainer could she have made herself? Shaking her head in frustration, she quickly lifted her wand, ignoring his suddenly panicked expression and whispered a quick incantation under her breath. The note still in his hand sparked, igniting into a flash of flames and smoke, she smirked in satisfaction when he suddenly shook his hand, quickly blowing on slightly tinged fingertips. She had to stifle a laugh, when all eyes turned from Draco and _her_ to stare at Potter, trying to figure out what he was doing.

"Since you seem to be suffering no after effects from either the potion or antidote, Draco, I think we can assume that both your and Miss Granger's lab work was, as usual, an unqualified success. Now perhaps we should see how the other team falls in comparison. Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, we are all waiting." Snape's voice sharply cut through Ron's sleepy daze and only amplified Harry's acute sense of embarrassment. Ron opened his eyes, bewildered by the remnants of smoke surrounding his table and oblivious to the red mark in the shape of a quill, imprinted on his check. Rolling his neck, he watched Snape collect three bottles and a thick rolled up scroll off the long table, while Hermione and Malfoy walked back to their desk and he slowly stood up to walk down the isle.

Harry rushed past Ron to claim Hermione's former seat, unwilling to sit in Draco's seat and slouched down. He was more than a bit disgruntled, when after a long moment of silence of him staring out into the crowd, Ron gave him a hard elbow in his ribs.

"Hey man, this is all up to you, good luck. I did the work, the least you can do is to read it and swallow the bloody potion. I want nothing to do with any of this, just pretend I'm not here." Ron unceremoniously dropped his bag on the table in front of Harry, before folding his arms and letting his chin fall against his chest.

Harry gave a long-suffering sigh as he opened the bag and started pulling out random materials haphazardly. Casting his partner, and he used that word loosely at this point, a baleful glare to which the red head was oblivious to, he tried to put everything into order.

"Need I remind you both that time is wasting? You are prepared to give this presentation, aren't you?" Snape snidely asked.

Harry ground his teeth for a moment among the tittering breaking out around the classroom. "Yes, sir," he bit out, when it was apparent that he wasn't going to get any help from Ron. Time passed painfully slowly as he tried to organize what he found in the bag. Staring at what he had laid out on the table and looking back into the now emptied bag, he hissed to Ron, "Where is the antidote?"

Ron gave a half-shrug. "Noticed that, did you? I don't know. Did you make one?" He didn't wait for an answer or even open his eyes, before he answered his own question. "Nope? Than I guess we don't have one, too bad."

Great, just fucking great, Harry wished, and not for the first time in Snape's room, that the floor would open and swallow him. Unrolling the scroll seemed to only make matters worse, as he realized that Ron's handwriting was even worse than Pansy's and rift with errors, not to mention the fact that, in total, it was less than a quarter of Hermione and Draco's presentation. He shook his head, what else was going to go wrong today?

"Ummm, so . . . yeah. The Brimstone and Treacle Potion is your basic bit of DA," he paused before correcting himself," sorry, Dark Arts . . . nastiness?" Harry's voice rose uncertainly as he struggled to both interpret and translate Ron's scribbling into something vaguely coherent. He sighed cynically, no wonder Ron refused to read this out loud. Ignoring the laughter from around the room as he stumbled through the presentation, he thought more and more about that note from Pansy.

Looking up for a moment, he caught glimpse of Draco smirking at him, with an arm around Hermione, before he leaned over to whisper something intimately in her ear. Her soft laughter that he could only see was the final straw and he made up his mind to meet with Pansy. At this point, he had nothing to lose by meeting her, although he resolved to bring Ron along in the invisibility cloak, just in case this was some sort of trap. Harry rolled his eyes, imagining the argument that was going to ensue when he told Ron their plans for the night, when he looked over at his friend and winced. Ron held the truly disgusting concoction that was an odd green color at an arms length away from himself out to him, a repulsed look on his face.

Sighing, Harry gingerly took it between his forefinger and thumb and taking a deep breath, held it to his lips and chugged it back. His mouth opened in a grimace, involuntarily gagging, as he struggled against the sudden urge to be sick in front of everyone and the glass vial fell to the ground, shattering. Ron instantly turned to him, guilt stricken as he patted him on the back helplessly. While he was quite pissed at Harry, he really hadn't meant to poison him. When he began to fall, the redhead quickly caught him and stood up, hauling Harry along with him.

Slinging a limp arm over his shoulder, Ron leaned Harry against him and turned to Snape, ready to tell him that he was taking his obviously incapacitated partner to the medical ward. Snape, however, was more than prepared and handed him a quickly bottled sample of their potion. "Here give this to Madame Pomfrey, so she knows exactly what he ingested. I would suggest that you consider levitating him as I doubt that you will be able to carry him far in his current state."

Ron nodded absently as he began carrying him off, even as Harry began turning a peculiar purple shade and growing what appeared to be horns. He had just reached the classroom door, when Snape called out to him. "Needlessly to say you both failed this assignment and that it will, of course, reflect as much in your grade this term. You may tell Potter when he regains consciousness." Biting back his sarcastic retort, Ron let the door slam a shade harder than necessary as he continued carrying Harry away.

* * *

Shortly afterwards, Snape dismissed the rest of the class and watched the class file out until he saw just the Slytherin he'd been waiting for. "Draco, a minute if you don't mind?" Turning back, the blonde realized that it was a demand, in the guise of a request and arched his eye, demonstrating his awareness of that fact. Taking his time, he whispered something to the girl at his side and slowly strolled down the aisle to where the potions master waited scowling darkly.

"You called?" His voice was just shy of impertinence.

"Yes, I just wanted to make sure that you found everything you needed while rifling through the potion supply room. After all, I wouldn't want you to be deprived in any way." Snape stared down at the younger Malfoy, willing him to break eye contact and growing annoyed when grey eyes continued to meet his own.

"Pretty much, although if I were you, I'd consider restocking dittany. I noticed you were running a bit low."

So it was going to be this way, hmmmm? Snape mentally rolled his eyes, refusing to express that particular sentiment to Draco, really hating it when he insisted on being difficult like this. "Interesting. Personally, I was more curious about certain other ingredients that seemed to be unusually low, such as lovage, hellebore, and belledonna. You wouldn't, by chance, know anything about that now, would you?"

Busted, dammit. Draco finally dropped his eyes. He figured that Snape would eventually discover what he had taken, but he had honestly been expecting a bit more time, before being accused or in this case, questioned. He shrugged his shoulders, walking over to the nearest wall, before leaning up against it. "Are you waiting for me to admit to something?"

"No. I'm sure that whoever took the materials is well aware that I have no proof, one way or the other and that under the circumstances assigning guilt would be pointless. I would just to point out the fact to whoever took those particular ingredients that in the portions taken, they are only usefully in making a Zwanger potion. Now we both know exactly what that potion is good for. The person I suspect of this thievery should also be aware of the possible consequences of their behavior, not only for themselves, but their partner as well. These aren't exactly what I would call the best of circumstances for such a blatant recklessness and disregard for the rules of this institution. Do I make myself clear?" Snape's voice was as cold and precise as Draco had ever heard the head of his house and while he wasn't cowed exactly, he was taken aback, but he quickly recovered.

"Well, if I hear anything from anyone, I'll be sure to pas that warning along. Is there anything else I could help you with?"

"No, that will be all, Mr. Malfoy." Snape abruptly turned and stalked off into his private quarters, which suited the younger Slytherin just fine as he left the classroom to find Hermione waiting behind the corner.

"Well, it's about time. What were you talking about in there?" She demanded, grabbing his hand, as she began dragging him off. "We're running late now, you know." Draco gave an amused smile as she threw her little fit, pulling her back and dropping a kiss on her lips, before he let her have her way as they walked on.

"He'll be ok, you think, right?" Hermione squeezed Draco's hand lightly, feeling slightly foolish for worrying about Harry, but it was an old habit to break.

Hearing the concern that she couldn't quite keep out of her voice, he looked down at her curiously. "Who?" He paused for a moment, before he put it together. "You mean Potter, don't you?" She nodded and he sighed, his hopes that she was beginning to get over this inexplicable, from his perspective anyway, interest in that prat, plummeting. "Trust me, Hermione, he isn't exactly the first person to poison themselves in Potions's class before. Madame Pomfrey will likely have him back on his feet, today, more's the pity."

"Draco!" She sounded vaguely scandalized.

"What?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't ask me to feel sorry for him or guilty for being amused by the situation. As far as I'm concerned, he got what was coming to him, if he had actually taken the time to do the work properly, then he wouldn't be in this predicament. He chose to slack off, doing Merlin only knows what and he got fucked for it, as he deserved, period."

She shook her head. This thing between Harry and Draco seemed to be beyond her capacity to repair, not that either of them was particularly interested in doing so, anyway, but still it ate at her. She shrugged her shoulders, maybe Draco was right and she should just give up on Harry, but the history between him, her and Ron was something that despite the way the two of them had been acting of late was hard for her to forget. Hopefully, he'd get over himself one of these days and then, maybe, they'd be able to salvage some semblance of a friendship. Otherwise, and she tilted her head slightly, watching Draco as they walked through the hallways of Hogwarts, hand-in-hand, well, things could be worse, at least this time she wasn't alone.

Draco felt her staring at him, and looking out of the corner of his eye only confirmed his suspicion. From what he could decipher from the wistful expression on her face, he assumed that she was still thinking about Potter and it annoyed him more than he cared to admit. Not for the first time, he wondered what it was going to take for her to break from him entirely and irrevocably. He knew that he could easily create a situation making Potter look bad, with his recent behavior it wouldn't be difficult at all, but on another level, he wanted her to see him for what he really was and to make the decision on her own. But he hated seeing her like this and if she didn't realize the truth soon, he decided that he would have to step in, sometimes she was just too sweet natured for her own good and if she was unwilling to protect herself, then he would have to do it for her.

"Anyway, this is my stop." She suddenly stopped, bringing an abrupt halt to his musings. Turning towards him with a mischievous smile, she rested her free hand on his shoulder and standing on her toes, she stretched up, to give him a brief kiss to his surprise, before breaking free and darting into the open classroom. Watching her disappear into the depths of the Transfiguration classroom for a moment, he walked off with a curious little smile on his face that raised more than one eyebrow in those he passed along the way.

* * *

"Ron, what the hell time is it?" Harry nearly jumped off the bed when Ron finally appeared back in the room. Staring at these walls for what seemed like forever was driving him crazy and he was impatient beyond belief. He knew that he was ok to leave, but Madame Pomfrey refused to let him go by himself and no one else had been by to visit him.

"Ummm, I don't know 8:30 maybe?" Ron shrugged, taking a slightly startled step backwards at Harry's over-enthusiasm.

"8:30?" Harry repeated as he hopped out of bed. "Ok, that isn't as bad as I had thought. We've got three and a half hours than to plan."

"Plan what?" Ron demanded, not knowing what Harry was going on about, but he had plans with Lavender tonight.

"We're meeting Pansy tonight at midnight at the Whomping Willow tree." Harry stood at the doorway and impatiently turned around. "Ron . . . come on, we don't have the time to hang around like idiots."

Ron was dumbfounded. What? Harry_ seriously _expected the two of them to meet Pansy . . . tonight . . . at the Whomping Willow and yet _he_ was the idiot? Feeling Harry's eyes on him, he sarcastically mumbled something to the effect of, "yeah, we'll get right on it," while trying to figure out when Harry had officially gone over the edge.

* * *

"We should go, he's isn't coming." Pansy pulled the hood of her cloak tighter around her face as she paced nervously around the Whomping Willow, make sure to stay out of its reach. "This was such a fucking stupid idea, I don't even know why I agreed to this."

"You agreed because I'm your superior and I don't recall giving you the option of refusing. Now get yourself under control or else, Parkinson." Gage's voice was menacingly low from the shadows under the tree. Stupid fucking girl, Gage shook his head in disgust. He hated being forced to deal with such inferior peons, but under the circumstances, one had to use what was on hand and sadly for him, she was it. Luckily, however, she wasn't very bright, which meant that she actually believed his story about using Potter to separate the mudblood and Malfoy, knowing her infatuation with him, she would have only caused trouble if she guessed his real intentions.

His head jerked up, mid-thought as he looked off into the distance, towards the castle. "Stop bitching, Pansy. Potter's here , but he's not alone," he closed his eyes. "There is at least one other person with him," cocking his head slightly as he concentrated, "sounds like Weasley to me."

"B-but I don't see anyone," Pansy peered out in the direction he was facing.

He rolled his eyes in frustration. "Right, Parkinson, just because they're wizards and own an invisibility cloak doesn't mean that he could be there invisible or anything. What was I thinking?" He asked sarcastically, ignoring her attempted response. "Just be quiet and stick to the plan. I don't want them to realize I'm here, until the time is right." He then waved his wand, whispering a brief incantation and faded in the shadows, only visible if you knew where to look and waited as the Gryffindors noisily approached.

TBC

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. And don't forget . . . Reviewing is Good Karma! So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)

Ok, if you've gotten down here & are still confused about the promised lemon that was the last chapter, go back up & read the beginning AN (I stuck there, figuring anyone who missed would want to read, **before** this chapter . . . oh, well. ;) Anyway, have fun reading, and remember – reviewing stories makes for happy writers.


	32. Seeds of Corruption

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;) **In regards to the lemon chapter** – FFnet has apparently disabled viewing email addresses in reviews, so some people who wanted the uncut version didn't (also some of your addies just didn't work). It sucks and so I've come up with yet ANOTHER solution that will hopefully work so deleting the spaces go to http : www . livejournal . com / users / kelticsoul / 84109 . html (my lj, if you need to, click on the hyperlink). If this is a problem for anyone, let me know & I'll see what else I could do. And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Anyway, such a long AN – I'm sorry, let's get back into the story . . .

Chapter 32 – Seeds of Corruption

Walking back to Hogwarts, Ron cast a wary glance at Harry, unable to believe how interested, hell downright enthusiastic, his friend was about working with deatheaters . . . fucking deatheaters. "Why can't you see how disastrous an idea this is?"

"Look, Ron, if you don't want to help me with this, then you don't have to, but I am going through with it. I don't trust this guy Gage or Pansy, so whatever plans they have for Draco are their business. I just want him away from Hermione and they can help me – that's all I care about." Ron wanted to smack himself in his head, unable to believe that they were actually having this conversation.

"Harry, look, I get that you care about Hermione, but isn't this a bit excessive? Come on, you have a girlfriend after all, and really, man, she _is_ with Draco, apparently happy. Now I don't pretend to understand that, but it's reality and you've got to learn to accept it, deal with it and move on. Besides we're talking about working with known deatheaters – aiding and abetting deatheaters, which if you've forgotten is _a crime that could land you in fucking Azkaban!!! _This isn't breaking Hogwarts rules, or underage magic anymore, this is serious."

"As far as I know, neither of them are wanted by the Ministry of Magic, so working with them isn't technically illegal. And it's not like I'm stupid. I'm not going to get myself caught up in anything that risky. I just want Hermione to see what she's gotten herself involved in and once that's done, I'm out. No harm, no foul."

"No harm, no foul?!?! What the fuck does that mean? Are you even listening to yourself?" Ron exploded, turning to stare at Harry, who just walked on, seemingly unconcerned.

"I'm going to break up with Pavarti and then after this is all over, Hermione will dump Draco and then maybe . . . "

"Then maybe what? You think Hermione is going to want to go out with you after all this?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You're not thinking clearly, Harry."

"What would you like me to do, Ron? Wait for Draco to use Hermione against me and watch her get hurt? Well, I won't do it. For too many years, I've waited for things to happen first before fighting back, and people have gotten hurt for it. But this time I'm going to strike first. You don't have to help me, or even understand, but you had better not get in my way." Harry continued walking, never even turning around to see Ron's aghast expression.

* * *

Ron walked aimlessly through the hallways trying to remember where the hell Sirius' room was. It was times like this that he wished that his brothers had given _him_ the Marauders Map, he was only related to them by blood after all. He had spent most of last night and today trying to figure out a way to make Harry see that this was one adventure doomed to failure, but he was just too bloody stubborn. Sometime during Potions class, he'd gone into damage control mode. If he couldn't talk Harry out of this, then it was time to find someone who could. The Ministry was obviously out, he didn't want Harry arrested and he thought about going to Dumbledore but vetoed that idea, leaving only Harry's godfather.

After the scare with him falling behind the veil in the Hall of Mysteries a few years back, the two of them were tighter than ever before. Harry would kill him for this, but the idiot was still his best friend. Ron was sure saving the said friend fell somewhere under the job description, even if it was from his own bout of insane stupidity. If nothing else he hoped that he'd survive long enough to see Sirius smack some sense into Harry. It would make these last few weeks worthwhile, assuming, of course, that he could find the stupid room. He stopped randomly at the nearest door, which looked exactly like all the other doors he had passed by and his foot independently shot out, kicking the door in frustration.

"_What_-the-bloody-fuck?!?!"

Ron's eyes widened as he heard someone angrily cursing behind the door he had just kicked. He suddenly turned and started quickly walking back down the hallway, trying to flee the scene of the crime, before the person fumbling behind the door opened it and caught him. Unfortunately he was in the middle of long corridor, with no nearby corner to duck around.

"Ron . . . Ronald Weasly? Why the hell are you kicking my door?"

Hearing his name, he winced, before the voice registered. Somehow he had managed to actually find Sirius' door. Quickly turning around, he almost laughed at the ill fitting baby-tee the man was wearing that read, 'Devil Doll,' before he caught the glowering expression on his face. Hoping to head off the impending argument, he gestured to the shirt and asked, "Devil Doll?"

Sirius opened his mouth to interrogate the Gryffindor, only to stare at him blankly for a moment, his words forgotten "What?" He sputtered out confusedly, looking down and shaking his head ruefully. "Yeah umm . . . well the shirt isn't mine, obviously." He began, before interrupting himself, "Wait, why am I explaining myself to you?" Seeing the young man about to open his mouth, he sighed loudly. "It was a rhetorical question, Ron. But never mind that, would you care to explain exactly why you're trying to kick my door down?"

"Well, I didn't really mean to kick your door, although I was looking for you. I've got to tell you what Harry is planning to do. Hopefully you can find a way to stop him, because Merlin knows that he won't listen to me." Ron didn't even want to touch the subject of whose shirt it may or may not belong to, deciding a 'don't ask, don't tell policy' would be the wisest course to follow.

"What is my favorite godson up to? A new Quidditch game plan?" Sirius couldn't imagine something so dire that the two friends wouldn't be able to resolve on their own. And to be honest, he had more interesting things to do than to have to mediate an argument between the two of them.

"Ha, I wish. No, it's a helluva a lot worse than that." Ron's head suddenly swung back and forth, scanning the area for any possible eavesdroppers. He stepped closer, closing the distance between them, his voice lowering. "He's agreed to work on this crazy plan with Pansy Parkinson and some deatheater named Gage to try and break up Hermione and Draco."

"What?!?"

"Yeah, I know the feeling. I mean he's been fixated on Hermione and Draco for a while now. Maybe I should have been paying more attention, but I just thought that he was just regretting getting involved with Pavarti and crushing on Hermione. But I've been trying to talk him out of this stupid idea since last night and he's even more committed to it than ever. He told me that he's in love with her and will do anything to get rid of Malfoy. I'm afraid that he's finally lost it." Ron felt slightly guilty as if he was betraying his friend, but rationalized that he was doing the best thing for Harry, whether he liked it or not.

"Oh fuck. . . " Sirius ran his hand through already tousled hair. "You'd better come in then and tell me what's going on." He turned to open the door and paused, suddenly thinking for a moment. "Umm, actually, wait here for a second . . . I'll be right back, ok?" Without waiting for a response, he turned and slipped inside the room. Ron could hear him faintly talking to someone and random noises like stuff being thrown around, before the door reopened. Sirius popped out, now wearing a black t-shirt and herded Ron inside the room with one arm before securely locking the door behind them.

* * *

Draco finally tracked Hermione down in the library, buried behind a pile of books. Leaning one elbow on the nearest stack, he snagged the book from under her. His smirk faded, as he caught glimpse of what she had been intently researching. Slamming the book shut on the table, his eyes hardened into an almost vicious glare. "Who have you been talking to, Hermione, because I know damn well that I never told you the name of the spell." His voice was flatly dispassionate.

Damnit, and she was so close too . . . Hermione closed her eyes, wincing slightly, sometimes her curiosity got the best of her at the most inopportune of moments. Time to think fast. "Ok, I know this looks bad, but when you were telling me about the spell, it sounded vaguely familiar. I wanted to know more, but the memory seemed to disturb you so much – and rightfully so, and well I didn't want to upset you further by prying and you know me . . . " Her voice trailed off as the look in his eyes changed from downright chilly to absolutely artic. Fuck, he wasn't going to buy it.

"Nice try, Granger, but I was very careful in what I said to you. There are easily a dozen of spells I can name off the top of my head that would fit the description I gave you. Considering that it's a rarely used and extremely obscure Dark Arts spell, not even you would have had enough time to narrow it down so specifically without someone telling you more. I want to know who, what they said and I want to know now." His voice was deathly soft and that made his demand seem all the more menacing.

She swallowed deeply, trying not to let on how intimidated she really was at that moment. Granted, she had known that he wouldn't be pleased by her digging around in his past without warning him in advance and this was a particularly sensitive subject, but she certainly hadn't expected to see this side of his mercurial personality quite so soon. And right then, she could have smacked herself in the head. While Hermione certainly wouldn't go so far as to call herself an expert on her new lover's moods, she realized that this might very well be something that he would see as a betrayal, especially considering last night.

He leaned back slightly on his heels, trying to leash back his temper, because there was always the distinct possibility that this was totally innocent, but as much as he tried, he found that idea difficult to believe. His tightly clenched fist kept his hand safely away from his wand, while he waited impatiently for the truth to come out. Don't lie to me again, Hermione, do whatever you ever you want, but please don't lie to me. I can't take that from you, I won't. He tried to keep the faith, but a voice in the back of his head reminded him that she looked so guilty, staring back at him her cinnamon eyes opened wide with the slightest trace of panic. "I won't repeat myself."

Blinking suddenly like a deer caught in headlights, she shook her head, breaking eye contact with him. "It's not like that Draco. I wasn't really looking for information, I had planned on researching it, yes, but I never even thought to ask anyone else and even if it had occurred to me, I wouldn't have. Dumbledore approached me and insisted on talking about it." She caught his startled expression and continued, her voice growing stronger with her anger, nodded her head even as she confirmed his suspicion. "Yes, Draco, he knew. He told me that he was aware of it while it was happening, but couldn't intervene because as he put it there are 'certain events that we simply cannot interfere with,' whatever that means." She raised her chin scornfully.

"Justification is what it means, a way to rationalize the shameful," his voice was completely flat and detached from any number of emotions she would have expected from him. "I should be surprised, really, but what the hell, I'm almost used to playing the pawn nowadays. What else did he say?" The icy remoteness of his demeanor was more disturbing to her than his near explosion of a few seconds ago.

"Not much, really. He talked about how they failed to step in when they should have, and nothing more about Maddie, other than she died in the ritual." He nodded abstractly and she wasn't entirely certain if her words actually penetrated, but as always he didn't fail to surprise her.

"And now that you've had time to read up on the spell, I'm sure that you've been able to figure it out, haven't you, Hermione?. Such a clever girl you are and knowing you the way I do, I bet that you're wondering if its true, aren't you?" Despite himself, Draco couldn't stop the taunting note that crept into his voice, because this was it. She knew - she had to know. Hell, Crabbe and Goyle would be able to figure it out now. In retrospect, he was somewhat surprised that she hadn't run away yet.

"Ummm, if we're really going to have . . . this particular discussion," she looked around pointedly, "I think that we should definitely do it somewhere more private, don't you?"

"Oh by all means, if you're foolish enough to face the devil alone, then I'm more than willing. After all," he laughed sarcastically, "We wouldn't want to cause a riot of panicking students." Cynically smirking, he tilted his head slightly in a mocking near bow, "Ladies first."

Strolling out, they left the library positively abuzz with activity, as students turned to question each other, unable to contain their curiosity. Who needed soap operas or stories in The Quibbler, when for sheer entertainment value you couldn't beat the ups and downs of this relationship? A few brave souls darted to the now empty desk, still piled high with books and began flipping through them, trying to discover this apparently controversial spell. Madame Pince was having a fit, attempting to hush the many and now extremely talkative students, while trying to chase away those who were doing their best to sneak a peek at the books, before she could return them back to their proper places.

Meanwhile off in the stacks, lurking in a less than obvious aisle, Infinity had the sudden impulse to start bashing her head into the nearest wall. She had never expected this type of mission when she signed up to be an Auror, and wasn't sure what she was more worried about – having to fight He who shall remain nameless and his army of deatheaters or having to mediate the relationship between two volatile teenagers. Either way it was giving her an extraordinarily painful headache. Well, there was only one thing to do about that, she decided, going off to find Snape. If she had to worry about this, then it was only fair that she find someone to make suffer along with her.

* * *

Harry sat in his room, rubbing the bridge of his nose, wincing slightly. His ears were still ringing from the not so dulcet tones of Pavarti screaming at him. To say she took him breaking up with her badly was a ridiculously naive understatement. He shrugged, rolling his neck to loosen the tight muscles of his shoulders and upper back. One problem down and just a few more to go and then he'd have everything he wanted, finally. In a way, he mused, it was actually better with Ron's refusal to be involved, this way everything would be less messy in the end. Harry wouldn't go so far as to say that his friend was slow, but he didn't think the redhead had fully grasped certain intricacies in Gage's explanation, nor did he believe that Pansy did either.

This was going to get very ugly and Ron . . . well, he hadn't exactly learned to embrace the theory of the ends justifying the means in quite the same way that Harry had. The boy who lived suspected that when it all came down Ron would balk at permanently removing Draco from the equation, instead he was sure that Wealsey would give in to family pressure and want to send the Syltherin off to Azkaban. Harry wasn't willing to risk Malfoy escaping or continuing to build a base of power behind bars and, besides the Dementors had proven themselves to be untrustworthy. The only way to ensure everyone's safety was to kill all the deatheaters and anyone who might ally themselves with them.

In exchange for their assistance with this matter of Malfoy, Harry was willing to turn a blind eye to Pansy and Gage . . . for now anyway, he'd come after them as well before he was over. When he had first heard about Voldemorte and the overwhelming threat of the deatheaters, when he realized what they had done to his family and countless others, he had sworn vengeance. But now, he was after even more than that, this time he wanted revenge and would stop at nothing to achieve his aims.

Somewhere far outside the castle gates and deep within the Forbidden Forest, a tall rake-thin figure dressed in a long grey cloak with the hood pulled over it's face gave a darkly sinister laugh. The seeds of corruption had been planted deep within Potters mind and were now swiftly taking root in a way that even exceeded his expectations. Gage was beyond amused, because this was coming along easier than he had ever hoped. Pansy had for once followed his orders to the tee and had brought him 'the boy who lived.' The boy's heart was clouded with jealousy and his mind was fertile ground for the deatheater's schemes. The spell had been wildly successfully and as he lurked in a dark corner of the Gryffindor's mind, he was subtly manipulating him – tweaking an idea here, twisting an emotion there. He began walking out of the forest, preparing to apparate as soon as he had passed the boundary that restricted him, still laughing. Gage knew that he was going to enjoy this, destroying Draco was the culmination of nearly a lifetime of scheming, using with the wizarding world's 'golden boy' was just going to make it all the more delicious.

* * *

They wound up in Draco's room, of course. Hermione was on edge. Draco's behavior today had been unpredictable to say the least and she had the feeling that it was going to get worse before it got better, especially considering what damning information she had unearthed. She wanted to know the truth, of course, but once he confirmed it, she knew that there would be no turning back – once he told her, she'd have to make a decision that would change her life forever. The Gryffindor had already made her choice, but convincing Draco was going be the difficult part.

It was ironic, back in second year nearly everyone had suspected the truth, but when it had apparently been disproved, they had all forgotten it. If what she suspected was true and at this point, she didn't see any other logical answer, despite how much she wished, for his sake, that she could forget it. She wasn't sure how she felt about it personally, but knew that she couldn't dare let anything resembling that show through. Nothing else would cause him to completely withdraw from her faster. Truthfully, she was more afraid of his reaction than anything else, this was yet another secret that she suspected Draco had buried deep within his soul, choosing to forget than to actually deal with it. In most ways Draco was so strong, he had to be just to survive for so long in that house, but on another level he was almost brittle to her very touch. Lack of any real emotional connection over a lifetime had scarred him in ways that she was continually discovering. Maybe it should have scared her away, and it might have if she didn't see how hard he struggled to overcome them.

Balling up his robes, he tossed it into some far off and distant corner, before finally digging out an old Dead Kennedys t-shirt and pulling it on. He then threw himself onto an armchair, sprawling across it nearly horizontally, one long leg hanging off the side, his elbow propped up against the back, his head just out of her sight. Lighting a cigarette, Draco knew he was stalling for time, but figured sitting down would be infinitely better than pacing around the room as he was inclined to do. His free-hanging leg betrayed his restlessness, however, as it idly swung out, kicking the smooth leather of the chair.

"Draco?"

His head rose up slightly at her question, but he merely took a long drag and shrugged his shoulders carelessly.

"I thought you wanted to talk." Hermione forced a bite into her words.

"No, not really, but I doubt that you'd be willing to forget what you learned?" His voice trailed off for a moment and when she didn't respond, he sighed. "What do you want me to say? It's true - what you've found and what you've guessed."

Hermione winced whatever rage he had been working himself into while in the library was infinitely preferable to the almost dead quality in his voice. "Draco, I don't care about who your family is. "

He gave an ugly laugh that was bitter and cynical. "You say that now, but it's one thing to associate with a Malfoy. Only half of the Wizarding world hates us, it's entirely other thing to be seen with a relative of Voldemorte. If that ever comes out and anyone finds out that you even suspected, never mind actually knew and hid it from them, everyone will call you a traitor."

A swiftly inhaled breath was her only audible response. His declaration explained so many unanswered questions, while raising a whole new set of problems. In an odd way, she felt almost more comfortable, because what else could possible surprise her now? At least she'd finally know what she was dealing with and she could start planning ways to extricate them from this impossible situation.

And then she realized that not only had he gone silent, but that he still hadn't looked at her. She began walking towards him, when his next words caught her by surprise.

"If you were thinking about cutting your losses, I wouldn't blame you, but now would be the time. Before this, you could do no wrong, being one of the Golden Trio after all, you could still maintain plausible deniability – they'll forgive you for being taken advantage of by me."

Standing in front of him, she plucked his cigarette out of his mouth and dropped it into the nearby ashtray, then she pushed his leg off the arm of the chair and promptly sat down on his lap sideways. "I appreciate the concern, I really do, Draco, but I'm a big girl. I don't need you making decisions for me or trying to protect me. It's very sweet, but it's beginning to really piss me off. One of these days you're going to figure out that I'm here with you and that I have no intention of going anywhere."

Tilting his head to one side, he ran his hand through her hair, before pulling her into a tight hug. "You really have no sense of self-preservation at all, do you?" His words were slightly muffled as he pressed his face into the hollow of her neck.

"Should I even ask?"

"Nope, probably not."

* * *

Sitting down on a nearby chair, Ron struggled to keep a straight face. Despite the seriousness of what he came to discuss, the situation was . . . interesting to say the least. He had originally intended to only tell Sirius, but she had overruled Ron's objections, giving the older man an almost amused glance at the suggestion that this was private information. Damn, but this Madison Grimshaw had Sirius seriously whipped, and he shook his head ruefully. She paced around the small confines of the room, listening to Ron's story, while Sirius sprawled out on the hastily made bed, intermittently cursing.

"I don't like this, Sirius," she began when Ron was finished with his tale.

Shooting her a disbelieving glance, her lover cut her off, "Bloody hell no, neither do I! What the hell is that boy thinking that that he could get away with something like this?"

"No, that goes without saying." She rolled her eyes briefly at the stupidity of the male species, although whether she was specially annoyed at Harry, Sirius or both of them was left unanswered. "It's worse than you think. I know that you were out of touch with a lot of what was happening when you were locked up in Azkaban and you're too young to remember, Ron. But if this Gage is the person I'm thinking of, than Harry has gotten himself involved with a particularly dangerous and as far as I know an extremely active deatheater. The Ministry has brought him up charges a few times, but the witnesses always either recant or 'mysteriously vanish'."

Madison stopped to watch as they both digested her news. "Unfortunately, I was often off on research junkets, getting a copy of wizarding newspapers was always difficult, so I only remember the most sketchy of details." She shrugging, rifling a hand through her unusually colored hair. "In fact, the only reason he stands out in my memory was the type of spells that he was accused of committing." At their mutually interested expressions, she added, "Mostly a particularly nasty variety of blood magic along with the usual deatheater resume of offenses."

Her serious tone echoed the shocked expressions on their faces and Sirius' bit out exclamation of, "Fuck!" as he slammed a fist into the bed, summed up the general mood of the room.

* * *

"Can you tell me about it?"

Draco shrugged. "What's to tell? The Sacrum Haurire Ritual is pretty clear as I recall. You read it, you should know." He paused as she gave him a reproaching look and sighed, continuing. "It's intended to induce a possession of sorts, basically summoning the spirit and more importantly, at least in Lucius's eyes, their power into a living vessel. The catch is that you have to be a direct blood relation of whomever you're trying to summon and of course, if you're successful the consciousness of the vessel will be permanently and completed obliterated." His voice was neutral and level.

"But I thought your father was French."

"Oh he is, or at least he was brought up in France, but his mother, my grandmother was English, she only moved to France after her marriage." He shrugged, "From what I understand, there was some bad blood between the sisters and very little contact. Anyway, that makes Lucius Voldemorte's cousin and my second cousin, so aside from my father, of course, I'm his only living blood relation. Just another reason my father was able to rise so quickly to prominence in the deatheaters, since Voldemorte blames his mother for marrying a muggle. Lucius would never use the spell on himself for obvious reasons, but he wanted a tool he could control. The spell failed since as we know now, the bastard isn't quite dead yet."

"So if your mother knew what he was planning for her own child, why didn't she stop him?" She asked the question that had been bugging her since she had first heard about this.

"Narcissa?" He genuinely laughed, tinged lightly with disbelief. "She's nothing more than a living puppet and Lucius is her puppeteer. That's the problem with the Forbidden Curses - not only are they sadistic as fuck, but they are dangerous when used for a prolonged period of time. You've heard what happened to the Longbottoms after being tortured by Cructius, right? Well, he's used Imperius on her so often over the past thirty something years that it's destroyed any independent thought process. He broke her, Hermione, broke her in a way that can't ever be fixed, believe me I've tried."

He fell silent, carefully examining a strand of her hair, as if he was studying the color variations and took the opportunity to wrap an arm around him. "When I was younger, I didn't understand what was wrong with her or why she acted the way she did. Hell, there were times when I was ashamed of her, because I thought she was just slow. It was only later that I realized why she would sit and stare out the window when Lucius hadn't given her a specific order. Maddie was older and she knew, but would never tell me, instead she made up a story that mother was just sick, always sick. I even believed that for a while. I think I was seven when I first found a pensive with my mother, before she met Lucius. She was beautiful, lively and intelligent all the things I always wished that she'd be and he killed that in her. Just like he destroys everything that comes into his path"

Hermione wished she knew what to say to make him forget all the terrible atrocities his father was responsible for, but she knew too well that such words didn't exist. So instead, she just held him tighter, running a hand through his hair, silently comforting him. He didn't say it, but she suspected that Lucius wasn't the type to simply forget his grand scheme to gain control Voldemorte's power just because it didn't work the first time. Continuing along her trail of thought, she wondered again what the 'Day of Reckoning' was supposed to be and this was going to impact her and Draco's lives.

* * *

"So he told her . . . " Servus shook his head in disgust.

"Not everything, from what I gathered, but enough that she was able to find the spell. I'm sure Draco is filling her in on the rest even as we speak." Infinity all but jumped out of her chair to pace around, needing to move around as she spoke, the chair forgotten, unable to contain her frustration.

Slightly calmer, Snape watched her whip around the room at a dizzying pace. "It could always be worse, at least he didn't tell her about the prophecy."

Wheeling around, she turned to stare at him for a moment, flabbergasted. "What?!? How could you, of all people, say that? That's the one thing he could have told her that would have been even_ remotely_ useful."

"Who is talking nonsense now?" He arched an eyebrow, steadily staring her now.

"Nonsense?" Infinity was stunned into silence as she continued to stare at him, demanding an explanation.

Sighing, Servus abruptly stood up and walked over to one of his cabinets. After a moment, he pulled out a pensive and sat it down in front of her. "I know that you are aware of the prophecy, but if you'll recall our memories were wiped clean of the specifics, just in case of an event like this where we might be tempted to prematurely reveal it. The original copy is in the hall of mysteries, of course, but I took the liberty of placing it here beforehand. Perhaps it's time to refresh your memory."

Returning to his seat, he leaned back as her eyes darted from him to the pensive and back again. When she seemed hesitant, his jaw visibly tightened and he pushed it closer towards her, his eyebrows lowering in an expression that she knew knew from experience meant that it was futile to argue. Pulling a chair up to the table, she tentatively stretched out trembling fingers to touch the sphere and suddenly felt herself falling into a memory so vaguely familiar . . .

She saw herself, Snape, and Cassandra gathered closely together walking out into the bright light in front of the fountain, just outside of Hogwarts and realized that it was just after the her friends graduation ceremony. The three of them pulled into a tight circle as she saw other students she recognized including Remus, Sirius, James and Lilly walked by, while Dumbledore walked in and amid the various groups celebrating students. Watching from a distance she saw the longing looks from Remus that gave her seventeen-year-old self was oblivious to and felt a slight pang in her heart. Shaking off the emotion, she moved to the slightly isolated trio, off to the side, her mouth opened in surprise, marveling how terribly young they all looked. Walking past herself and her dark purple Mohawk, which as she argued at the time was very in and rebellious, she grimaced slightly at the foibles of youth.

She stopped in front of Cassandra and a bittersweet smile crossed her lips. Although she knew she was here for a specific purpose, she couldn't resist taking a moment to relish the sight of her dear friend, who had been taken away as a casualty of war, far too young. Blinking back her tears, Infinity forced herself to look away and focus back on her reason for being here. She looked over at herself, wearing her dress robes and Servus with his arm loosely slung over her shoulders. It was oddest sort of déjà vu, she mused idly, the scene teased the frayed edges of her memory, like white foam of a wave just about to break, but never quite falling. As they spoke, she knew recognized the words, nodding her head absently in agreement, expecting without really knowing the laughing replies.

Dumbledore caught her eye as the courtyard began to clear out, he was approaching to off his congratulations to Servus and Cassandra for graduating, she supposed. It should happen soon as she recalled. A faint smile crossed her lips as she watched Cassandra excitedly hugging the then-professor, while Servus was far more restrained, abruptly slid his arm back from around her shoulders to reach out and shake the older man's hand almost grudgingly. Infinity stepped closer in expectation and was not disappointed, when Cassandra suddenly went stiff and her eyes stared off into the distance as her voice became rough and harsh to the ear.

"on the second full moon, the dragon will be born

waiting deep in the shadows of the manor

until the dark lord shall rise again,

he alone holds the power to stem the tide

the last heir of Slytherin will live a life

misunderstood and die a death equally veiled

lose him and England itself

shall forever be lost in the darkness

the Dragon will protect that which

is most sacred to him,

giving his own life as the sacrifice,

to be rewarded in death and be reborn"

Infinity gasped in horror, as the words reverberated in her head, remembering at last what Snape had been trying to tell her. She absently observed Dumbledore quickly herding the small group back into Hogwarts and out of sight, although it didn't appear as if they had captured anyone's attention. When she suddenly found herself back in Snape's room, she was stunned, looking up him in silence, her eyes shining with unshed tears. He watched her soberly, a solemn expression on his face. "Oh Servus . . . how can we tell him that he's going to - ," her voice broke off as she threw herself into his waiting arms.

"Die?" He pausing, smoothing her hair with one as he held her tightly to him with the other. "Simple, Infinity, we're not going to tell him. That's why we're here after all, to do everything in our power to make sure it _never_ comes to that."

"And if we can't, if it is his fate?"

"I've never believed that fate was unalterable and I refuse to begin now. Nor will I place that burden of knowledge upon him, what he needs is hope and reasons to live, rather than the expectation of death."

TBC

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. And don't forget . . . Reviewing is Good Karma! So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)

Ok, if you've gotten down here & are still confused about the promised lemon, then go back up & read the beginning AN (I stuck there, figuring anyone who missed would want to read, **before** this chapter . . . oh, well. ;) Anyway, have fun reading, and remember – reviewing stories makes for happy writers.


	33. Fifteen Minutes With You

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. The lyrics towards the end of the chapter are from "Reel Around the Fountain" by the Smiths. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;) And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Anyway, such a long AN – I'm sorry, let's get back into the story .

Chapter 33 – Fifteen Minutes With You . . .

Madison yawned softly as she stretched out her arms in bed, glancing over at the dark-haired man, still lying on his back staring up at the ceiling. Turning slightly on her side, one hand landed gently on his chest. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

Sighing, Sirius shook his head. "Not really, an hour here or there . . . maybe."

"Worried about Harry?" His nod was all the answer she needed. Leaning up on one elbow, she trailed her hand reassuringly up and down his chest. "Well, you can find him later on today and talk it over with him."

He smothered a sarcastic snicker. "Yeah, I can try, but he's seventeen and not likely to listen to an old man like me and on top of that, remember, I knew his father. Harry is at least as stubborn as he was and Merlin knows I was never able to talk James out of anything."

"So then what?"

"Well, I'd try to talk him out this nonsense, but it's probably just going to piss him off and let him know that Ron told me. In which case, he'd cut both of us out of the loop, leaving me with no way to know what's going on. Instead, I'll make myself 'available' if he brings it up, I can try to talk him out of it, if not I'll have Ron keep tabs on him and whenever he decides to go ahead with this foolhearted scheme, I can knock him out beforehand and avert disaster."

"You really think that will work?" She fought to keep her skepticism out of her voice.

"I'll make it work, I've got no choice. I've been to Azkaban, Madison, I'll do _whatever_ it takes to keep James and Lily's son out of that hellhole. If he winds up hating me for it in the end, so be it, but I _will_ stop him from destroying his life at all cost." He lay still for a moment, enjoying her touch, before he forced himself into a sitting position, abruptly tossing his legs over the side of the bed and with a deep sigh he stood up. Madison leaned back on the bed, taking in the view as he walked across the room to the armoire and began pulling out clothing.

"Going out already?"

"Yeah, well, I figure that I'd go out and try to round up Remus, after all, we are all that's left of the Marauders. Besides, out of the three of us, he was always the most logical. He might have some idea that I haven't considered yet." He finally finished pulling a dark blue, nearly black sweater over his head. Walking past the bed, he brushed a light kiss over Madison's lips as he continued on his way out the door. "I'll see you in a bit, alright, love?"

* * *

Infinity sat slumped over at the desk, books scattered around her, even as she pushed one off in her sleep. In the fireplace, a face appeared and sighed upon seeing the sleeping auror. "Infinity . . . Infinity wake up, come on Infinity, I know I'm late, but this is a bit ridiculous, don't you think? INFINITY!!!" With a start, she sat up abruptly, sending the rest of the books crashing down to the floor.

"What, what's going on?" Her voice was raised as she pushed herself to her feet and she waved her wand about wildly, as her head swung from one direction to the next, searching for the voice that had awakened her.

"Down here," the figure waved a barely visible hand from within the flames.

"Oh, Alex," she relaxed, falling back into her seat. "It's just you . . . damn, you scared the hell out of me. What time is it anyway?" She rubbed her eyes, still somewhat sleep-dazed.

"Nearly eight-thirty AM. Sorry about being so late, but I had just got some information and wanted to confirm it before I brought it to you."

"8:30?!?! Damn, I've got class in a few hours." Infinity's eyes suddenly opened wide as her brain started to catch up with her body in waking up. "Wait . . . what information? You found out what Lucius is up to?" She sat up excitedly.

"No, not quite. We're not sure the extent of Lucius's involvement or even if he's aware of what is happening. But you remember that little bastard Gage, right?" She impatiently nodded, waving at him to get on with it. "Ok, well a few days ago, he was found in Wales, apparently he got involved in some sort of wizarding duel with someone who left him alive, but with a broken wand and a very obliviated memory. Interestingly enough, earlier that night he was spotted at a muggle club in London and he wasn't the only wizard seen there. One Hermione Granger, a muggleborn witch, attending Hogwarts, was also observed there in the company of Draco Malfoy."

Frowning, she interrupted him, "When was that specifically?"

"Umm, they were all seen at the club on Saturday night, Gage was found sometime on Monday. Apparently it was just dumb luck that he happened to bump into a medi-wizard in Swansea, who recognized his condition, otherwise who knows how long he might have lingered in the muggle medical system."

"Hmmmm," she mused out loud as she stood up and began pacing back and forth before the desk. "Ok, timing wise that fits together, it certainly explains the tension I saw from them on Monday and most of Tuesday. I don't suppose we were lucky enough to get any info out Gage before he was released?"

"No, of course not. As soon as he remembered who and where he was, he immediately clammed up on us. However," and the face in the fire smirked slightly, "I did take the liberty of setting a tail on him, just to see what he was up to."

She rewarded him with a brilliant smile, "And that's just one of the many reasons why I love you, Alex . . . So what did you find out?"

"Well last night, he visited Hogwarts. Unfortunately, we lost him inside of the Forbidden Forest, but based on his recent correspondences and what we were able to glean from the centaurs, we're fairly sure that he met with Pansy Parkinson and one definitely, but possibly two other unnamed individuals."

"Damn, I'd really like to know who else he met, but one name is better than none I suppose. Bloody deatheaters," running her hand through her hair, distractedly as she thought aloud. "Ok, Alex, I want to you to continue the tail on Gage, you know the deal – if it seems like he's onto you, keep on him, but back off slightly, if it looks like something is up, double it and inform me immediately. Meanwhile, ask around, especially our other deatheater contacts, somebody has to know what he's up to, so find that person and report back to me."

"Oh is that all? Anything else, you'd like me to take care of on the side – world peace, an end to world's hunger problem or a muggle cure for the common cold?" His voice was lightly tinged with sarcasm.

She smirked at him, "Yeah, yeah, you know that you're my little miracle worker. I have faith in you. But we don't really have the time to squabble at this particular moment, you've got work to get started on and I need to get ready to teach a class in bloody Arithmancy. And how I got stuck with that as my cover, I will never understand." She rolled her eyes at that absurdity.

They quickly said their farewells and she bent over, retrieving the books scattered on the floor and quickly stacked them into a neat pile, before she walked out of the room and back into the bedroom. Snape looked up dressed for the morning as she entered. "Working late?" His eyebrow arched up ironically.

"Yeah, well . . . Alex was running just a tad bit late, but at least he came through with some information."

"Do tell," he lounged back into a nearby chair, watching her expectantly as she paced in front of him.

"Apparently over the weekend, Draco and likely Hermione had some sort of clash with Gage. You remember him, that little deatheater upstart that all but worships Lucius?" She paused as he nodded in agreement. "Well, it seems that he got the worse of it, a broken wand, an obliviated memory and left to wander aimlessly through Wales."

"Ahhh, though Hermione's efforts, I'm sure, because I can't see Draco sparing the bastard of his volition, considering their past history."

"Most likely, which works to our advantage, because trying to keep Draco out of an official murder investigation would be one helluva headache that I'd prefer to avoid if possible. Of course, since they didn't report the incident, we can't charge him with anything either and he's still running around free. He wound up wandering into a medic-wizard who was able to repair the memory loss, so now he's got even more of a reason to come after Draco and it looks like he's lost no time in pursuing that goal. Last night he actually had the audacity to come to Hogwarts. The ministry's operative lost him in the Forbidden Forest, but we're fairly sure that he met up with a Pansy Parkinson and one or two others. Parkinson, she's Richard's daughter, right?"

Snape snagged her by the hand as she passed him again and pulled her into his lap. "Yes and a Slytherin, naturally . . . but I can't see her knowingly working to harm Draco, since she has been infatuated with him since their first meeting, despite his constant rejections over the years. However, she's not exactly the brightest student, so it's more than possibly that she is being used as a dupe." He paused for a moment, his arms wrapping themselves around her waist, as he rested his chin on her shoulder, trying to think the situation through. "And there is no indication of who else might have been at this meeting?"

"Nope, not yet. I've ordered Alex to keep pressuring our spies and contacts for whatever information they might have and to maintain the detail on Gage, but that's all we have thus far. Anything theories or insight you'd like to offer up, considering that you personally know all the involved parties?"

He scoffed at that statement. "Please don't insult me, Infinity. Gage and I have never exactly been on what you would call 'personal terms'." He pulled her more tightly against him, turning his head slightly, as he inhaled the fragrant smell of her herbal shampoo. When he spoke again, his breath was warm and slightly ticklish against the skin of her throat. "What would you like me to say, the animosity between Draco and Gage is near infamous, I would think. Draco has wanted his head ever since that incident with his sister and Gage has always had it in for Draco, because he wants to usurp his position as Lucius's heir. Lucius believe that 'a healthy bit of competition and rivalry' is to his personal benefit and has allowed, hell he's outright encouraged it."

"Would he take to the extreme of allowing them to try and kill each other?" Infinity asked, but her voice was quieter than usual, not really wanting to hear the answer and Servus' bark of sarcastic laughter in her ear did little to reassure her.

"Of course he would. He believes that if it ever came down to that Draco would be victorious, blood winning out and all that pure-blooded nonsense. If Draco died, well then he'd just write it off as survival of the fittest or something of that ilk. Although I am inclined to believe that whatever Gage is currently plotting, it most likely isn't sanctioned by Lucius or the other high-ranking deatheaters."

"What makes you say that?" She twisted around in his grip to face him.

He shrugged his shoulders, "It makes no sense otherwise. If Gage had been working with someone, he certainly would have had some sort of back up in Wales. If he ambushed them, which would be the logical conclusion, considering his preferred modus operandi, there is no way that they should escaped so easily, never mind actually defeating him. Instead, it seems that he went alone and suffered for it. Additionally, there is no reason to use Pansy Parkinson for assistance, even as a dupe if he didn't have to. There are several other deatheaters in training that he could tap for assistance that are far more capable than her. But of course they would also be better informed on the most current deatheater activities and less likely to join a rogue and unsanctioned plot such as this."

"Great . . . " She jumped up, easily evading his arms that sought to imprison her, and in fact she actively batted away his hands, offhandedly scolding him. "Not now, Servus, we don't have time for _that_. We've got to figure out what the hell that little bastard is up to and who he's working with. Meanwhile, you've got to get to class and I need to catch some sleep, take a shower and prepare for yet another scintillating hour of teaching Arithmancy, all before I can get back to my real job."

Turning around, she laughed at the petulant expression on his face as she stepped over to the bed and fell backwards into it, waving one hand lazily at him. "See you later, darling." Sighing deeply, he pushed himself out of the chair, murmuring a few choice curses under his breath, as he gathered up his supplies and exited the room.

* * *

After dinner, Hermione found herself in the Arithmancy classroom helping Infinity organize her paperwork, while casually chatting about the upcoming lessons. As much as she enjoyed discussing her favorite class with someone who valued her opinions, Hermione felt slightly off-kilter. She subtly glanced over at Infinity, trying to maintain the appearance of working, while actually attempting to figure out why her teacher had a book on blood magic. Unfortunately as it worked out, she wasn't getting very much out of either effort. Her concentration split, she completely missed Infinity's question the first time around and was completely blindsided, catching only a vague reference of blood spells.

"Umm, excuse me?" Hermione was clearly startled, nearly knocking over the short stack of books balanced on her knees.

"I asked if you were interested in blood spells, since I couldn't help but notice you looking at my book." Infinity's voice was sounded somewhat distracted as she sorted through various piles of documents. "You could borrow it, if you like." She shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "Merlin knows, I've got more than enough here to occupy me. Until I get a better handle on teaching this class, I won't have the time to read through it again."

"Again?"

"Yeah, I'm a bit of book fanatic, if I buy a book, I keep it – forever. I've read everything I own at least once, although most I've read over and over. Someone had asked me a question about a particular wizard known for using them and I looked up the information for them and thought while I had it out that I'd might as well review the material. But it's nothing I need to do at this moment, so you're welcome to take it for awhile, if you like."

Hermione looked up at Infinity, scrutinizing her expression trying to decide if this was just a useful coincidence or if her teacher was indirectly alluding that she knew something specific, but was unable to make a solid decision either way. Reviewing everything she knew about Infinity, she came to the unsatisfying conclusion that she didn't know nearly enough. Either that or she was letting Draco's near obsessive sense of paranoia infect her.

But regardless of whatever was going on, there was no way that she could justify turning down the chance to take the book to study it at her leisure, considering the fact that the Hogwart's copy was suspiciously missing from the restricted section. Not wanting to appear too eager, she paused for a moment as if debating it, when she was actually resisting the impulse to snatch the book up immediately. "Well, if you're not going to use it, then sure I'd like to look through it. You never know, it might help me score extra points on the NEWTS."

"Hmmm, it's possible, I suppose." Infinity tilted her head slightly, as if she was trying to think back. "I don't remember any specific questions on blood magic when I took the exam, but then again, I think that I quite happily blocked most of it out of my memory. Either way, I know that you are intelligent enough not to want to mess around with blood magic, but knowing something allows you to know it's weakness if you are ever forced to deal with it." She took a second to finish her filing in a neat pile, before she dropped it into a file and when she was finished, she pushed the book towards Hermione. Standing up, she stretched, arching her back slightly as she reached up towards the ceiling and then she began collecting the various other books covering the desk. "Anyway, it looks like we're finished a little early, and I'm sure that you have better things to do than hang out with my all night, so you can take it and get going, ok?"

"Umm, sure, all right. Goodnight then and thanks for the book." Hermione gave a slight wave as she took the book and picked up her bag, making her way out of the room.

"Goodnight, Hermione." Infinity watched the young girl, quite pleased with herself for so neatly arranging the situation to her liking and in a way that allowed her to retain a certain measure of plausible deniability. Hermione was now armed with the book and all the knowledge contained within it, which hopefully would give them a bit of an edge against whatever Gage might throw against them. Knowing Hermione, Infinity was sure that she'd put the information to good use.

Leaning up against the wall outside of the classroom, Seamus kicked the wall impatiently. Malfoy had snagged him earlier, demanding that he find Hermione totell her know that he'd 'be busy tonight with work,' whatever the hell that meant. He had been waiting around for what seemed like forever to pass along his message, so he could get back to his own business. Arguing with himself over whether or not to leave, he nearly missed Hermione's abrupt exit as she darted off in the opposite direction. He pushed himself off the wall, only to stumble as he began to follow her. Dammit, this sucked. Somehow he had managed to become Draco's lackey and errand boy and while he wasn't entirely sure how that happened, it was definitely turning out to be an enormous pain in the ass.

And where the hell was she running off to in such a bloody hurry, anyway? He sighed, rolling his eyes as he started off after her. Turning the corner, he broke out into a burst of inventively creative curses as he realized that somewhere along the way, he had completely lost her. Draco was going to have his head. . . if he was lucky. The Gryffindor ran his hand through his hair, wondering who he could hit up for one of the Wealsey twins skiving snackbox's to get out of class for awhile. With any luck, he could hide out in the Medic ward until Draco forgot this little incident.

* * *

Hermione didn't know where Draco was but she made herself more than comfortable in his room. She sighed, hoping he'd wander in sometime soon. Dropping her bag on the floor, she sat down on the loveseat and began reading through the book she had gotten from Infinity. As time passed, she began to grow more and more impatient, wondering what was keeping him. While it was true that they hadn't made any plans, she thought that they had an unspoken understanding.

Despite the fact the book was interesting and full of information that she suspected would become useful, she couldn't force herself to give it the attention it deserved. Yawning, she checked the time and realized that it was nearly midnight and Draco still hadn't appeared. The growing chill and dampness of the room was beginning to seep though her robe and clothes, so she stood up, stretching slightly. Pulling his comforter of his bed along with her, she dragged it back to the loveseat and wrapped herself up into it, kicking off her shoes and curling up into a small ball. She decided to wait for a little longer, maybe another hour or so, and propping the book up against a pillow, she took a deep breath and continued trying to read it through.

Draco fought back yawning as he entered his room. He had spent most of the night listening to Dumbledore, Snape and the other members of the sainted freaking "order," debating strategies and various plans of attack. He suspected that both Snape and Dumbledore were fully aware that he regularly snuck in when they had meetings on school grounds with every intention of listening in on their plans and gave their tacit approval by not busting him. This gave them plausible deniability in case if he ever chose to act on any privileged information that he overheard at the meetings. If anyone ever suspected that they gave him the information, the veracity potion would only prove their innocence. Unfortunately, the "order" rarely discussed anything of any real use for the young Slytherin, and he hadn't figured out a way to sneak into either Snape's or Dumbledore rooms to learn the really interesting information, which made tonight yet another exercise in futility.

Seeing Hermione bundled up on the loveseat asleep was a more than welcomed surprise. "Hermione . . . Hermione," he sat down next to her, running a light hand through her hair, as he tried to gently wake her. A small smirk curled up one corner of his mouth as she just snuggled into him closer. Sighing, he stood up and began getting ready for the night. He picked up the book on the couch and noting the title, he buried it somewhere on a pile of his books. Shrugging off his robes, he bent down to pick up Hermione, comforter and all and smoothly carried her across the room to the bed.

Sitting down on the other side, he quickly removed his own clothes, before turning to dig out his 'sleeping beauty,' who fought him every step of the way, clinging to the comforter, as if her life depending on it. Although she had fallen asleep fully dressed, he figured that he might as well make sure that she was comfortable. So he stripped her down to just her shirt and undergarments, before pulling the sheets, blanket and comforter over the both of them. She immediately sought him out, shivering lightly, as she snuggled up against his body heat. Smiling faintly, his arm slid out around her waist anchoring her firmly to his side.

* * *

Hermione felt warm and secure as she stretched slightly in her sleep when she realized that she was very much restrained. Reluctantly she forced herself to open her eyes only to discover an arm tightly wrapped around her and twisted her head slightly to the side. She smiled when she saw Draco's head tucked into the crook of her neck. Turning her head back, she relaxed back into his embrace and wiggled a bit as she tried to get comfortable enough to fall asleep again.

"Just to let you know, if you don't stop moving like that, then I am going to take it as an invitation," his voice was a husky rumble and warm against the back of her neck before he punctuated his words in a light kiss.

"I thought you were sleeping," she whispered back in a hushed and sleepy tone.

"Not really, I was just enjoying watching you. It's late, you should get back to sleep, we're going to have to be up in a few hours," he kept his voice low, as he lightly stroked her hair in an attempt to lull her back to sleep.

"What about you?" She yawned softly, threading her fingers through his and pulling his arm tighter around her body.

"Don't worry about me. Just close your eyes, ok?. . . " He watched as her eyelids drifted close. "That's my girl . . . " Waiting for a long moment, Draco listened until her breath slowly evened out and then he slowly withdrew his arm. She moved slightly and he froze until she settled back and then he quickly slid out of the bed without waking her.

Walking across the room, he fell back into the armchair behind and grabbed his cigarettes as he watched her in the dim shadows. A quick flash of flame illuminated the room and she rolled over, one arm reaching out into the spot he had just left as if searching for him. After a moment, he found the remote control and turned the stereo on, the softly muted moodiness of The Smiths filtering through the room. Leaning back, he deeply inhaled and watched the slow burn of the cigarette as smoke rose and coiled through the air like a living phantom under a mysterious compulsion to dance, following the melody of the music.

"Fifteen minutes with you

I wouldn't say no.

People see no worth in you,

Oh but I do"

The chorus haunted him and as he sat there, brooding in the dark, he idly wondered what Hermione would make of the lyrics. He reached out to the remote again, pressing the repeat button, caving into his impulse to in indulge his moody whims, letting the music sink into him, before focusing back on the task at hand. Draco ran his hand through his hair, taking a strong drag off the cigarette, before turning slightly to dig through his pile of papers and dug out the book he found Hermione reading earlier. Opening it up and without glancing on the index, he quickly found the page that interested him. He had long ago memorized the details of the spell, having studied this volume in his father's library, but rereading it over never hurt.

He wasn't sure where Hermione had gotten the book, something he'd have to remember to ask her about tomorrow, but it definitely made him uneasy, because he knew for a fact that she couldn't have possibly gotten it from the Hogwarts library. This was a particularly ancient and rare edition and although there had been a copy in the restricted section, Draco had liberated it years ago, before promptly destroying it. Blood magic was all too often the blackest, there were one or two pages in this book that bordered on grey, but even the so-called 'grey' spells were notorious for inevitably turning out to be more trouble then they were worth. Too many apparent coincidences were happening for his peace of mind the appearance of this spell, in this particular book, turning up so quickly after encountering Gage didn't bode well.

The very fact that Hermione had read the book was enough to disturb him. Draco was fairly certain that she was smart enough to understand the dangers of such magic, but wouldn't put it past her to consider using one in an emergency, a risky proposition at best. Now he had to make the difficult choice of whether or not he should cast the obliviate memory charm on her. He knew how her mind worked, the intellectual challenge combined with a dangerous situation might be too much for her to resist. On the other hand, depending on how things played out, her knowledge might be necessary. Draco swore under his breath before inhaling a lungful of smoke. This was the exact situation that he had been struggling to keep her out and yet here is where he found himself. Closing the book in frustration, he angrily stubbed out his cigarette and the smoke stilled before fading out of existence.

"I dreamt about you last night

And I fell out bed twice

You can pin and mount me

Like a butterfly"

TBC

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. And don't forget . . . Reviewing is Good Karma! So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)


	34. Glutton For Punishment

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;) And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Sorry for the delay in this chapter, I was having technical difficulties. I know a lot of you have been asking for the lemon chapter, I have it posted it up in LJ (lifejournal, for those of you who don't have one) and immediately after posting this, I will be listing that link as my home page to make things easier for all of you. Anyway, such a long AN – I'm sorry, let's get back into the story .

Chapter 34 – Glutton For Punishment

Ron looked over at Harry brooding away and loudly sighed, but his frustration went largely unnoticed in the Great Hall. Harry would always be his best friend, but damn, when he got like this, well Ron just didn't quite know what to do about him. As much he hated to admit it, the only person who was ever really able to pull him out of one of these moods was Hermione, but considering the current situation, the red-head knew this would take more than the usual swallowing his pride. Not only would he have to get past Malfoy, but with everything that had been going on, this might require serious groveling and even that wouldn't guarantee that she'd help. Thinking about all this was giving him a bloody headache, how was anyone supposed to eat under these circumstances?

On top of everything else, he and Sirius still hadn't gotten any information of whatever scheme Harry was cooking up with Pansy and that deatheater git, which only meant that he was deliberately keeping it from them because he knew they wouldn't approve. Taking into consideration both Gryffindor's reputations for playing fast and loose with the rules and their unquestionable loyalty to Harry that was something to be worried about. Ever since his legimancy training, getting anything out of Harry that he didn't want you to know was nearly impossible. Overall, Ron decided that this entire situation was just going to hell and giving him indigestion.

Between Malfoy and the way Harry's been acting lately, talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Ron honestly didn't want to deal with either one, but didn't see any other way. Trying to subtly glance at the Slytherin table without being blatantly obvious, he saw Hermione sitting next to Malfoy off by themselves at the end of the table, seemingly in their own little world. But judging by the amused expression on Malfoy's face before he whispered something in Hermione's ear, he failed miserably. Quickly turning back to his more than half full plate of food, he caught a derisive smirk or two from his tablemates. Harry laughed next to him, an ugly and cynical sound, "Don't tell me that you're mooning after the ferret now too, are you?"

Ron nearly choked on his bite of toast. "Wha-"

"Don't play innocent with me. I saw you watching them. Either you're with me and against him, or you're not."

"Harry!" Ron hissed, trying to keep his voice to a low whisper, "Are you out of your bleedin' mind, mate? Of course, I'm on your side."

"Yeah right, that's what I thought about Hermione until _she_ betrayed me." Harry suddenly got into his face, mere inches away. "Don't even think about making the same mistake, Weasley," he punctuated his words by abruptly stalking out of the room.

Ron stared at his retreating figure, shrugging off the questioning expressions of a table full of confused Gryffindors. After a few minutes, he noticed out the corner of his eye, Hermione and Malfoy making a quiet exit and after a few seconds, he quickly followed them. Darting out into the hallway, he couldn't see them and stopped dead as a wand suddenly tapped him on the shoulder. "Is there any particular reason that you're following us, Weasel or are you just that much of a glutton for punishment?" Ron winced as he recognized Malfoy's crisp tones and slowly turned to face the Slytherin, his arm casually slung around his girlfriend's shoulders.

"Draco," Hermione reproved him in a softly amused voice, "that's laying it on a bit thick, even for you, isn't? Let's at least hear him out."

"Umm . . " Ron stuttered out, wishing he had thought this idea a little more though.

"Get to the point, Weasel, we don't have all day to listen to your babbling, you know."

"Umm . . . Hermione, would it be possible for me to speak to you, privately?"

Draco's eyes narrowed slightly at the hesitant request. Considering the way the red head had been staring first at Potter and then at them, specifically Hermione, he had fairly good guess what this might be about and he didn't want her anywhere near either Gryffindor. Giving her a quick sidelong glance, he saw her purse her lips briefly as if in thought before she opened her mouth to respond, so he abruptly cut her off. "Think again, Weasel, whatever you want to say to Hermione, you can damn well say in front of me or you can go bother someone else."

"Draco, " she began.

"No, I don't trust the smarmy bastard any more than I can throw him, Hermione and this is non-negotiable." His voice was harsh, mainly for Weasley's benefit and he lightly squeezed her shoulder to let her know that while his anger wasn't directed towards her, he was serious.

Sighing, she shook her head for a moment, telling him silently that while she would go along this for now, she didn't appreciate his high-handedness. Sometimes Draco was over-protective to the point where she wanted to strangle him, it just so happened that this particular time it turned out to be convenient. She was never Ron's favorite person, unless she could do him a favor and considering everything that had been happening lately, she was more than a bit apprehensive. "What do you need, Ron?" She asked, already tired of the conversation.

"Well . . ." He winced, wishing Malfoy would for once just sod off. It was hard enough asking Hermione, convincing her would be even more difficult, but having to do it in front of that damned git was nearly impossible. "I was just wondering, if you'd be willing to talk to Harry, because he won't listen to me at all and . . . _dammit_, Hermione, you were always better at getting him to do what is best for him. When it comes to someone telling him when something is stupid and dangerous, you know that you're the only one that he ever listened to."

"Not a chance in hell, Weasel!" Draco exploded, taking a half a step towards the other man threateningly. "Whatever reckless stupidity Potter is involved in, he got himself into it and he can damn well get himself out of. If you think, I'm going to stand by while you drag Hermione down with you two, then you're stupider than I ever thought."

"Let her speak for herself, you bastard!" Ron retorted, his hand going for his wand. "Come on Hermione, you're not just going to abandon Harry now, are you? Just tell Malfoy to fuck off and then you can talk to Harry and everything will go back to normal." Focusing his attention on the witch, he missed Draco's smirk as he twisted his wrist, revealing the wand still in his hand.

Seeing both of their wands, Hermione knew the situation was mere moments from escalating into an outright duel She quickly stepped between the two would-be-combatants, her arms thrust out, warding both of them off. "Would you two, for Merlin's sake, _please _put your wands away?" She hissed angrily, glaring at each of them in turn. After a few seconds, they both complied, Ron with a somewhat sheepish expression, whereas Draco just arched an eyebrow sardonically. Rolling her eyes, she took a deep breath. "Can we pretend to be civilized for just one minute, before we start throwing hexes and curses about?"

"Hmmm, I don't know, Hermione. Is it possibly for a Weasel to pretend to be civilized?" Draco asked mockingly, ignoring the red head who was frustrated to the point where he was nearly snarling.

"Do me a favor, Draco – shut up, ok?" She bit off, no longer in any mood to play this little game. Turning back to Ron, who was torn between giving her imploring glances and hate-filled stares directed towards Draco. "Ron, eyes back over here, hmm?" She waited until he was facing her again, before she continued. "Ok, before I promise to do _anything_, Ron, you've got to explain what the hell you're talking about. What has Harry gotten himself into now?"

"In front of him?" Ron scoffed. "So that's it, Hermione? You're just going to take his side," he gestured wildly towards Draco, "and who the fuck cares about what happens to Harry, huh? You really are an absolutely useless bint, aren't you?" He missed the expression that crossed Draco's face as the Slytherin's wand hand reflexively tightened into a fist. "I don't even know why I bothered to think you might help." He shook his head, before he turned to stalk off.

"Well that went well, don't you think?" Draco murmured in her ear, fighting the impulse to launch himself at the Gryffindors back, instead choosing to lean down slightly and brush a kiss against her temple.

She half spun around, abruptly shoving him away from her. "Dammit, Draco. You just had to go and deliberately provoke him, didn't you?"

Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, ignoring her attempts to resist him. "Hey, as far as I'm concerned, I was more than justified, given the way that _discussion_ turned out."

She continued to fight him for a moment, more as a matter of pride than any desire to break free of his grasp, before she relaxed, leaning back into his embrace. "That's not the point and you know it. There was no reason for things to escalate like that."

"Hermione, you know as well as I do, exactly what that was all about." He derisively laughed. "He only came to you after exhausting all other options he could think of."

"He was reaching out to me –"

But he ruthlessly cut her off with the truth she preferred to ignore, "Not for your sake, Hermione. All he cared about, no," he quickly amended himself, "all he's ever cared about is Potter, not you love, and you deserve better than that. I'm not going to stand by and let either of those idiots use you, especially not when they want to drag you into something potentially dangerous. And asking me to do nothing when you endanger yourself is unreasonable. If I have to look out after you, because you refuse to, then I damn well will, consider it something to get used to."

Listening to him, she felt the last remnants of her anger at him fade away and while she wasn't happy the way things had turned out, it wasn't worth arguing with him over. She almost wished that she could say that Ron's ending tirade had been unexpected, but although she had been hurt, it wasn't exactly unexpected. That at least was one true thing that he had hinted at, she had always been closer to Harry than Ron, mainly because Ron could be such an ass, not to mention self-righteous. But lately, despite all the history between the three of them, she honestly wondered if she had ever really knew either one of them, because while she had changed in her time at Hogwarts, the two of them were like different people. People that of her own accord, she wouldn't want anything to do with if she had met them today, instead of so many years ago. "Still, wouldn't it have been good to know what Harry was up to, if he is in trouble?"

"He's old enough to take care of himself, Hermione. Are you going to bail him out for the rest of his life?" He lightly squeezed, resting his chin on the top of her head. Behind them, they could hear the fading sounds of breakfast ending, which meant that they would soon be surrounded by a rush of exiting students. Stepping back from her, he let his arms fall away and offered her his hand. She looked at him for a moment, before smiling slightly as she took his hand and they walked off down the hall.

* * *

Harry studiously avoiding Ron's questioning looks as he focused his all of his attention on Draco's and Hermione's tables. All he need now was to find an opportunity, but the way Draco was throwing him an occasional wary stare, it was looking more like he was going to have to make one. The hard part was going to be Hermione. First he was going to convince her to talk to him, then make sure Draco knew about it and lastly he was going to have to disable in her some way so she wouldn't interfere, when everything went down with Gage. Not the easiest of tasks, but something he was now committed to doing.

Every second he saw them together, his anger smoldered higher and having to watch that bastard put his filthy hands on her, just stoked the flames of his temper. If he didn't take care of this soon, he might strangle Malfoy himself, the killing curse seemed to be more than the Slytherin deserved. Harry abruptly hissed, one hand suddenly rose to clamp against his forehead, covering his scar as it burned, ignoring one or two startled glances around him. He knew what that meant, Voldemorte was plotting something and that thought led him back to Gage and Draco. The more he thought about it, the pain faded, almost converting itself into a primal rage to see Malfoy dead at his feet. His hand slowly lowered to rest against the table, fingers tightly curling into a white-knuckled fist.

From over his shoulder, Draco could feel his skin crawling. It was an odd sensation, but not one that he was completely unfamiliar with. Subtly lowering his head, his bangs falling in front of his eyes, he glanced over his shoulder, pinpointing the source. Two tables back on the left, Potter glared at him maliciously. His fingers tightened on his wand as he unobtrusively waved in a tightly control, barely noticeably motion, whispering, "Revelre Seele(1)," and was nearly knocked back by the force of the virulent hatred radiating off Potter, his aura was almost entirely black. Waving his wand again, he dropped the spell and wrapped his other arm around Hermione's shoulders as he lifted his head to smirk at the infuriated Gryffindor.

Turning back to give her a slight smile, he pretended to pay attention to Snape's lecture, while his mind was focused on trying to decipher exactly what he had just seen. Something was dangerously wrong, because even for Potter in a fit of anger, his aura shouldn't have been pitch black. It was obvious to Draco that the idiot was under the influence of some dark magic spell, but which one, cast by whom and why? Whoever cast the spell knew what they were doing, since apparently no one else, even 'Saint Potter' seemed to be aware of it. None of his housemates would be capable of casting something on this level, nor would they be able to keep their mouths shut about it either and he couldn't imagine anyone else hating the Gryffindor enough to try anything.

Despite his certainty about that, he glanced around the classroom to see if anyone was acting strangely. Most everyone was either paying attention to Snape or trying not to fall asleep. Pansy, on the other was studiously avoiding looking anywhere near his direction, so she might be up to something, but he seriously doubted her ability to pull this off. And Snape seemed to be trying to catch his eye for some reason. If anyone might be able to tell him what was wrong with Potter, it would be the potions master, being most familiar with the dark arts. As much as he hated to help Potter in any way, considering the fact that Potter seemed to focused on him and Hermione, it might be in his best interest to let someone else figure out what the fuck was wrong with him.

Sighing, Draco decided to talk to Snape after class. Aside from his familiarity with the dark arts, other than Hermione he was the only person, the blonde even vaguely trusted and there was no way in hell that he was taking this to her. Despite the recent actions of the two Gryffindors, there was still a significant amount of history between them and he could see Hermione rushing to his side if she got wind of any sort of dark arts spell being cast on her once best friend. Merlin only knew what Potter would do in that situation, but Draco could guess. After all if he found himself in that position, then would totally use it to his advantage and blame his rival, he didn't see Potter being able to resist the opportunity. And that was something that he'd prefer to avoid having to deal with because _anything_ could happen at that point.

Just before class ended, Draco whispered in her ear that he had to take care of something with Snape and that he'd meet her after classes in the library with some goodies snagged from the kitchen. Turning back towards Snape, he motioned towards Potter with a quick jerk of his head and was satisfied when Snape gave him a slight nod of understanding. While everyone rose to leave, Draco took his time gathering his supplies. Hermione brushed his arm as she made her way out of the classroom and Draco tensed as he saw Potter start to follow, only relaxing when Snape called him over. Lagging behind, he saw her make a clean exit and he finally stood up with a smirk on his face as Potter roughly pushed past him.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor, Mr Potter. Perhaps that will remind you to make it to your next class without any further temper tantrums."

Draco's smirk widened as he walked down the aisle. "One can only hope, of course, but that might be beyond Saint Potter's capabilities."

Arching an eyebrow, Snape stared him down until his smug expression faded slightly. Although he did want to talk to the boy, between the latest information about Gage and Dumbledore's revelation to Miss Granger, he wasn't entirely sure of where to even begin. He certainly hadn't expected that young Slytherin would have approached him, which made him wonder if there yet another dangerous secret about to be exposed. "As requested, I detained Mr Potter, I expect that you had a valid reason for my doing so?"

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but over his lifetime Draco Malfoy has had some of the most dangerous wizards known alive attempt to intimidate him, so it was going to take more than just an arched eyebrow and a leading question to shake him. He did, however, successfully resist the impulse to roll his eyes. "Don't I always?" Not waiting for a response, he quickly elaborated. "Not like you'd need much of a reason, but something is up with Potter, something more serious than his usual bout of histrionics."

"Draco, is this something you're involved in?" Snape bit out, his thumb and forefinger rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Smoothly sitting down on a table behind him, Draco adroitly covered his reaction to the unexpected accusation, unsure whether he should feel insulted or bitter, ignoring the slight tinge of hurt. He sarcastically retorted, "Give me a little bit of credit, why don't you? If I had cursed the bastard the last thing I would ever do, would be to admit to it, let alone actually report it. I simply thought that someone might care to do something about it. Never mind, I don't even know why I bothered." He scoffed, abruptly rising to his feet and turning to walk away.

Snape winced, realizing too late that he had chosen the entirely wrong tack to take. "Draco, come back. We are hardly finished with our conversation." The potions master watched as he stopped in a half-turn and warily tilted his head back, blonde hair falling across his face in what was a deliberately obvious attempt at concealment. At times trying to talk to younger Malfoy was exhausting and more effort then it was worth, but if there was something truly wrong with 'the boy who lived,' both Dumbledore and the order would have to be informed. "You have to admit that under the circumstances, it is a reasonable question. After all, it isn't exactly as if looking out for Potter's welfare often falls under your usual activities."

"Now you _are_ insulting me!" Draco coldly responded, refusing to move from his position. "You know I don't give a damn about 'Potter's bloody welfare,'" he nearly spat out the words, "normally, I'd applaud the person. But the way Potter's going, it may very well wind up interfering in my life and _that_ is simply unacceptable."

Not the exactly the response he was hoping for, but knowing that is was the best he was going to get at this point, Snape asked in a more conversational tone, "And what makes you suspect a dark arts spell?"

"Oh come on. Aren't you the professor who has been trying to get the DA position for how many years now? At least now we know why Dumbledore keeps refusing you." Draco watched the older man stiffen, before he sniggered, enjoying his moment. Smirking, he continued, "I would think it would be more than obvious the way he's been acting. I suspected something and cast Revelre Seele to be sure and it's more than obvious to anyone with the eyes to see."

Accepting the vindictive jab for what it was, Snape forced himself control his temper. Reflecting back on Potter's behavior during class and in their brief conversation, he could see the possible rationale in his argument. Hearing Draco's casually thrown out declaration that he used the Revelre Seele spell was a surprise, although at this point in his relationship with young Slytherin, he wondered why he bothered. The boy's vast knowledge and experience with obscure dark arts spells never failed to both disturb and amaze him. Looking at the blonde, who would guess that he had been raised not only studying and practicing such magics, but Snape was fairly sure that he had also considerable first hand experience of the effects. Lucius had a lot to answer for and before this war was over, Snape personally intended to see that the man got all that was coming to him.

"Very well, Draco, I trust your judgment and assure you that the matter will be looked into." Snape paused for a moment, because there was so much more he wanted to discuss with his student, but given the way the conversation had gone thus far, he doubted that Draco would be willing to divulge any further information to him. Worse yet, he might put him on the defensive to the point where the subjects might be closed for good. If nothing else, he had learned that Draco's trust was both a fragile and rare thing, it had taken him years to earn the limited portion that he commanded. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" His eyes narrowed as he stared at Draco, hoping he'd respond.

Draco met his eyes head on, "Not that I can think of at the moment. Why?" The unspoken rest of his question, 'what do you know?' was left hanging heavily in the chilled room.

Ok, if that's how he wants to play it . . . "No reason in particular." Draco arched an eyebrow sardonically at the equally uninformative answer. Nodding his head slightly he turned and began walking out of the room.

Just before he reached the door, Snape spoke, his voice low but reaching across the room. "Draco, you wouldn't have happened to have seen Gage lately?" The blonde froze for a moment, but didn't turn around, which was more telling than not. "I only ask because I've been hearing interesting things about him lately."

"Oh really?" There was a faintly strained note in his voice, as if he was trying to sound noncommittal about that bit of information, but not entirely succeeding. A long silence fell between the two of them. Unseen by Snape, Draco's eyes fell shut for a few seconds. He knew very well that he was being baited and as much as hated to bite, the fact of the matter was that at this moment Snape's circle of information was wider than his. The potions master wouldn't idly drop that name unless he knew something important. "Like what?"

"Well for one, last week, he was found wandering around the wilds of Wales with an obliviated memory and his wand broken, but you wouldn't know anything about that, I'm sure."

Snape's ironic delivery seemed to strike a certain nerve as the younger man stiffened slightly under his close scrutiny, before quickly recovering. "Are you accusing me? Because even if I did know something, you of all people should hardly expect me to admit to it."

"No, Draco, I would never accuse you. On the contrary, if I knew who might left Gage in Wales, I'd be tempted to congratulate them, assuming I knew them, of course. Personally, I'm more interested in the fact that he somehow got onto Hogwarts grounds earlier this week."

"What?" Draco forgot about playing it cool and spun around in shock.

Snape gave a derisive laugh. "Yes, if nothing else, I thought that would have gotten your attention. He was seen in the Forbidden Forest in the company of Pansy Parkinson, among others."

"Don't try to play me, Snape. Who else did he meet?" Draco's voice was coldly angry.

Bristling slightly under the demand, Snape's eyes narrowed, but he managed to keep his response mild enough. "Although we suspect that others were there, no one knows who else or what his purpose was. As far as we can tell, he held a meeting, then left through the forest and dissapparated once he was off the grounds."

"Fan-fucking-tastic . . . " He cursed, running a rough hand through blonde hair, revealing for the first time, the agitation visible in his grey eyes. "I thought you and Dumbledore were supposed to keep murdering deatheater bastards out of Hogwarts!"

Snape flinched slightly under the brunt of accusation. "Well, no one is completely infallible and technically he did only get as far as the forest."

"Oh don't give me that technical shit. You fucked up and you know it." Squeezing his eyes shut, Draco turned to walk off, but was jerked to a full stop when Snape grabbed his arm.

"Don't do it, Draco. I understand why you'd want to go after her, but I can't let you."

"And what? Am I supposed to wait for him and that bitch to come after me? If nothing else, you should know me better than that." His voice was coldly precise, each word crisply enunciated.

Sighing deeply, Snape pulled a vial out of his pocket and placed it carefully into Draco's hand, before curling stiff fingers around it. "I cannot condone anything you might do with the Versium, not will I admit giving this to you and I fully expect you to cover your tracks if you were to use it, but under the circumstances it is best alternative to what you _might_ have had in mind."

Draco turned back, giving him a smirk. Glancing at the vial, he slipped it into his pocket. "Don't worry, I know exactly what to do with it." Nodding slightly, he quickly left the room.

Sitting down heavily, Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. Giving students vials of potions to use on their classmates violated most of the oaths he swore when he took this position, but giving the reality that Draco might have resorted to even less ethical tactics, a dosage of Versium was infinitely preferable. Hopefully Draco was as smart as he hoped, otherwise this was going to take some very creative explaining if this got back to Dumbledore.

1. Revelre Seele – my own creation, Revelre (Old French, derived from the Latin revelo – to unveil or lay bare) and Seele (German for soul).

TBC

For those who may skipped the opening note, the **lemon chapter** is available on my LJ (lifejournal) and I'm making the link my homepage on my user info to make everything easier for all of us.

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. And don't forget . . . Reviewing is Good Karma! So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;) Unless you're a writer, you will never understand how inspiring your reviews really are to someone like me., they keep me going even when I get stuck like I did with this chapter, so thanks :D


	35. Oooohhhh Fight Scene

Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. I need to say thanks to, **Heather**, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;) And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Sorry for the insanely long delay – between fires, injuries, lak of internet access it's been a rough past few months, let's hope everything will be better in the new year.

Anyway, such a long AN – I'm sorry, let's get back into the story .

Chapter 35 – Oooohhhh . . . Fight Scene

"She's hardly a member of the Order, Sirius." Snape commented, his voice bored and vaguely critical.

"Neither is your piece of fluff, but you don't hear me bitching, do you Professor?" Sirius retaliated, his demenor dripping with scorn.

Eyes narrowed, the potions master stared his former classmate down. "Perhaps not, but she is an auror and soon to be a member, unlike this one night stand of yours." Snape bit back.

"Oh, so that's how it is, Snape?" Sirius made a momement towards him. "Well, my _fiancé_ – "

"Oh my god, enough!" Madison cut in, smacking Sirius in the chest. "First of all, I can speak for myself. Secondly, I think you're doing more damage than good." She glared at him for a moment, before sighing. "Anyway," she turned back to the others in the room," For anyone who's interested, my name is Madison, Madison Grimshaw."

Smirking, Infinity stepped in front of Sirius and held out her hand. "Glad someone around here is thinking. Nice to meet you, I'm Infinity Owens, filling in as the professor of Arthimancy and well, I'm with him," she gesturing at Snape, "although at the moment, I'm not entirely sure why."

"Likewise." Madison smiled at her, shaking her hand. "Now if these two can behave themselves for one minute, maybe we might find out what this is all about?" She looked around, not entirely sure who called the meeting or the proper protocol, if any.

"Ah, yes and I believe Professor Snape called this meeting." Dumbledore commented, as he strolled into the room, his eyes twinkling curiously to Madison's bemused expression. Glancing around the room, he smiled gently and briefly introduced himself to Madison. "And now that we all know who everyone is, what was it that you wanted to tell us, Servus?"

Casting Sirius a baleful glare, he gathered the remnants of his dignity back and calmed himself, before he spoke. Directing his words to Dumbledore, Snape explained what Draco had told him.

"So wait a minute, that little bas-" Sirius began and stopped abruptly, as an elbow suddenly slammed into his ribs. He caught the intent glare in Madsion's eyes and gritted his teeth before beginning again. "All right, so Malfoy cast _Revelre Seele_, a dark spell, on Harry and supposedly saw - what, a curse on him? And we're supposed to take his word on this? Tell me, Snape, did you cast _Revelre Seele_ on him too? What do you think about this, Dumbledore?" He waved a derisive hand towards Snape.

Snape's brows drew together in objection. "I don't like your tone, Black. Say what you want about me, but leave Draco out of this. He didn't have to come to me, remember."

"Oh like a Malfoy would do anything out of the goodness of his heart? Don't make me sick . . . assuming he didn't cast the supposedly curse himself, he never would report it if there wasn't something in it for him. " He scoffed.

Clenching his wand tightly, Snape was quick to retort. "What could possibly be 'in it' for him? This is just another example of your paranoia – "

Infinity, taking a page from Madsion's book, stomped on his foot and at his startled glance, feigned a look of surprise. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Servus. Is the pissing contest not over?" She folded her arms over angrily across her chest. "What the hell is wrong with you two? Seriously, we've been out of school for what, almost two decades? You're adults, you want to hate each other until the end of time, feel free, but maybe for once you can put aside your own history and remember why we're here!"

"Draco and Harry are still just teenagers – stupid, opinionated, stubborn, and convinced of their own immortality, but still children. And while you two are busy holding grudges over things that happened so long that I can barely remember, between Voldemorte, Lucius and Gage, they're going to get themselves killed. Is that what you want?" She demanded, glaring at each of them in turn. "Because if it's really going to take a wizarding duel to settle this before we can get to work, than just say the word and I will _happily_ kick both of your asses!"

* * *

The vial of Veritaserum safely secured in his pocket, Draco was walking slowly through the halls of Hogwarts, trying to put a plan together that involved spending the least amount of time actually in her presence. He briefly toyed with the idea of involving Hermione, but immediately rejected the thought, because knowing her she'd object to the idea of using it on anyone, even Pansy. In the end, it wasn't worth the grief she'd give him, so it'd be better to apologize after the fact than argue the ethics of it beforehand. Hearing voices up ahead, he slowed down even further until he reached the room they were coming from. Draco leaned up against the wall, next to the door, tapping it with his wand "_Sonorous plaga,_" and listened in.

/inside the room/

"Have you lost your mind? How the hell am I supposed to get Hermione to go anywhere with me? She hates me, remember, almost as much as I hate her." Pansy complained bitterly. Working with a Gryffindor was so beneath her and having to work him "the boy who lived," of all people was just adding insult to injury. When this was all over, Draco had better learn to appreciate her.

He stared at her blankly for a moment, before shaking his head in frustration. "Ok, can you shut up for one moment and listen to me. I'm going to use really simple words for you. I'm going to go after Hermione, your job is to distract Draco and keep him away from the two of us, until I'm ready. Can you handle that or not?"

"Don't you dare condescend down to me, Potter!" Her voice dripped with her obvious disdain. "Of course, I can do that, but that isn't what you said before, so make up your fucking mind."

Rolling his eyes, Harry gritted his teeth. "Whatever Pansy, all you have to do is drag him off when I tell you to." Under his breath, he muttered, "even you should be able to understand that much."

She turned around as if startled, "Don't even fucking start with me! Gage's orders or not, I won't tolerate being insulted by you. Piss me off enough and I'll go straight to your little mudblood and tell her what you've been up to – "

Before she could finish the sentence, Harry had painfully grabbed her arm, twisting it so that her sleeve rose slightly. "Threaten me and you won't have to worry about Gage, Parkinson. You will keep your mouth shut or else . . . " He let his words trail off as he tapped his wand against the now exposed mark tattooed into her skin. "Just do as you're told and this won't go any further." He blatantly lied to her, knowing that before this was over that she would likely come after him because of Draco, but he'd deal with that later.

His head tilted slightly and ears perking at a noise, he though he heard outside. "We'd better go, I think someone is coming," his voice was low, as he let go of her and walked towards the door. Rubbing her arm Pansy cursed under her breath and followed him out, glad that this 'meeting' was over.

/ back out in the hallway/

Draco abruptly dropped his spell and made his way out of sight before the door opened. Waiting until they both went their separate ways, he turned the corner heading towards the great hall. After all, it was time for lunch and he had plans to be made.

* * *

Sitting at the Slytherin table he didn't see Hermione, but since both Potter and Pansy were in sight, he wasn't too worried. Whatever they might be up to seemed to still be in the planning stage, although the very mention of Gage was enough to set him on edge. At least he knew who the bastard had met the other night. He'd be willing to bet that Weasley was the second "unknown person" in the forest that night. Dammit. Draco knew that he should have killed Gage when he had the chance.

He quickly scribbled a note to Hermione and used a sealing spell, which got him more than a few interested glances from around the room. Looking around intently, he caught Seamus's eye and pointedly tilted his head towards the open doorway, smirking when he saw the long-suffering look of resignation cross the Irishman's face. Then he got up and walked out of the room, leaning up against the stone wall just out of sight of any curious onlookers from inside the hall.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what's wrong with you," he commented, amused by the look of painful expectation on Finnigan's face.

Seamus looked up at him, startled. "You mean that you're not going to bitch me out for not telling Hermione you were going to be late that night?"

"Umm . . . no, I hadn't planned on it. Why? Do you really want me to?" Draco asked curiously, apparently all too willing to do it for Seamus' liking.

"No!" He sputtered out, "of course not!" His eyes narrowed as Draco's smirk widened. "I really hate it when you start fucking with me like this . . . " He grumbled, relaxing slightly.

"Hey, what can I do when you're such an easy target?" Draco shrugged casually.

"Well, ok, if it isn't that, than what do you want?"

"I have a note, I need you to give to Hermione." Draco tossed him the tightly wound scoll.

Catching the scroll in one hand, Seamus started complaining. "Oh c'mon Malfoy. Do I have the word lackey or messenger written on my back? I mean, of all people, why do you always hit _me_ up for this shit?"

Draco broke out into a brief but wide grin. "What can I say, Seamus? You're '

In the very rare number of people who actually talk that I'm fairly confident aren't death eaters. Sorry to say, but this time you're the dog pageant winner.

"Oh thanks, I win the best of the worse . . . that makes me feel _so_ much better about it now," he threw back sarcastically, shrugging in rueful amusement. "Alright, fine. I'll do it, but you seriously owe for this. You have no idea how hard Hermione can be to track down sometimes."

"Yeah, ok. Next time you get a shipment, just let me know and I'll cover it." Draco offered.

"It's a deal, mate." He raised one hand, as he turned and walked off.

Smirking, Draco decided to ditch the rest of his classes for the day. He had plans to make and made his way back to his room, which is where Hermione found him a few hours later.

Walking into the room, she could barely hear herself think. Shaking her head, she dug through a pocket in her robe until she found her wand and cast a silencing charm.

"What the fuck?" From off in the corner of the room, Draco raised his head, half twisting, wand raised until he saw Hermione, standing just inside his room with an painful expression on her face.

"Are you deaf yet?" She asked him, a vaguely disapproving note in her voice.

He laughed at her. "Hey, I happen to love this song, if you want but I'll turn it down for your delicate Gryffindor ears. "

She rolled her eyes at him, walking further into the room. "Dare I ask what you're blasting so loud?"

" 'The Outcast,' by Dropkick Murphys. It seemed singularly appropriate under the circumstances." He tossed his wand onto his desk cluttered with half opened books and unraveled scrolls and stood up, stretching slightly.

Admiring the taut muscles displayed by his worn t-shirt, Hermione sat down, one eyebrow arching delicately as she waited for him to explain.

"I've got an interesting bit of news for you, but until I figure it out exactly what's he's plotting with Pansy, I need you to avoid Potter for awhile."

She stared at him for a moment, eyes open wide. "Well, someone's been busy, I see. Care to explain that for those of us who are obviously out of the loop?"

Grinning he collapsed next to her on the bed, pulling her down with him. "You're not the only one out of the loop, since I'm not entirely sure what their scheme is yet, but it involves Pansy distracting me so Harry can get you alone somewhere to do Merlin only knows what. Fucking wanker!" Draco sneered almost purely out of habit, as he started slipping off her robe.

Hermione impatiently shrugged him off of her, sitting back up, leaving Draco lying on his back, her robe still in his hands. "That must have been what Ron wanted to talk about with me. Dammit, I wonder if I can track him down," she mused out loud.

"You're not even listening to me, are you?" He asked, sounding a bit piqued as he propped up on one elbow.

"Of course I am." She responded automatically, wondering where the Gryffindor Keeper might be at this hour while she gathered her bag off the floor where she had dropped it earlier.

Pushing himself up, Draco rolled his eyes at his girlfriend's continued preoccupation with the two morons. "If you think that you're going to go and ask the Weasel what's going on, then I'm afraid that I'll have to object." He spoke calmly, but quite distinctly, his voice clearly brooking no dissent.

She turned towards him, an apologetic smile on her lips as she stood up. "Objected noted, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to disappoint you. Don't worry, I'll find Ron and find out what's going on, then I'll come back and we can figure this out."

"Not going to happen." Reaching across the bed, he caught her hand and tugged her backwards until she fell back onto the bed. "Now that I've got attention," he placed one finger across her lips when she opened her mouth to protest, "let's think about this logically, okay? What makes you think that he isn't working under Potter's orders, hmm?"

"That's it, Draco," she mumbled, pulling his hand away her mouth. "You are the most paranoid person that I know and believe me, considering some of the people I know, that is saying _quite_ a bit. I know you dislike Ron, but he is occasionally capable of independent thought."

"Whether he is or isn't is irrelevant. Other than Potter's plans with Pansy, he's also dealing with Gage – two known deatheaters, I might add. And then there's the dark taint to Potter's aura to consider as well. Whatever he's up to is dangerous, Hermione. It's too risky to take the chance that Weasely isn't involved, voluntarily or not."

Closing her eyes for a moment, she absorbed his words, before looking up at him seriously. "You think he might be under the Imperious Curse?"

He shrugged his shoulders, lightly brushing her hair out of her face. "Don't know," and don't care really, he thought to himself. "I wasn't really looking for the signs this morning, but with Gage in the mix . . . Yeah, it's a possibility."

"Great," she sighed, her body falling limp. "Got any more good news for me?"

* * *

Draco was too restless to sleep and since Hermione had crashed awhile ago, he tucked the blanket around her and decided to go out for a walk, after securely hiding the vial Snape had given him somewhere a curious Gryffindor wouldn't find it. The night air was cool and refreshing as he wandered aimlessly through the Hogwarts grounds. Patience was never his strong suit and just waiting for whatever trap Gage was planning to trigger was against his nature, but under the circumstances he didn't have enough information to act one way or the other. Frustrated, he stopped to light up a cigarette.

"Sneaking off school grounds, Malfoy? Why does that not surprise me?"

He stiffened slightly, took a deep drag off his cigarette, before dropping it and crushing it with heel of his shoe. Draco casually turned around, smirking slightly. "I think the better question, is why are you sneaking back _onto_ school grounds? Meet anyone interesting out there?" He gestured with his wand to the Forbidden Forest.

"Don't turn this on me." Harry demanded.

"But how can I resist, when you make it so bloody easy?" Draco sneered, arrogantly strolling until he was just a few feet away from his adversary.

"I'm warning you, Malfoy, for the last time. Leave Hermione alone or else . . . " He played with his wand menacingly.

"Or else?" Draco grinned widely. "That's the best you've got?" He snickered, "Well, that explains why _you_ never got anywhere with her. Apparently, Potter, you're just not man enough for her."

Harry was frozen in disbelief, the damning implication that the Slytherin had made hitting him hard, with all the impact of a stunning curse. His head shook in denial. "Only in your dreams, Malfoy."

"Don't have to dream about it, mate, when I've got the real thing in _my bed _every night Hell, I'd be there now, if she hadn't fallen asleep, guess I must have exhausted her . . . " His words trailed off suggestively as he arched an eyebrow, his eyes darkening with a palpable hunger.

"She'd never be with someone like you." Harry ground out his words, teeth clenched.

"Oh, but she is. And she loves every minute of it." Draco laughed, leaning back a moment on his heels, his wand out of sight as he thrust both hands into the front pocket of his ragged black jeans . Draco stared at him intently. "What, you think she's dying to be with you?" The laughter echoed about the dark for a moment, before fading away and being replaced by an unsettled silence. "Damn, it must really eat you up inside, Potter."

Harry's fingernails dug deep into the palms of his hands, drawing blood. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Draco shrugged and tilted his head, leaning in close. "You can believe whatever you want. I know how fucking wanting she is, I smell it, I taste it, I consume it . . . you don't and you won't, mate."

Harry snapped, his wand falling unseen to the ground as he launched himself forward, his balled up fist slamming wildly into Draco's face, temporarily knocking the his smirk off. The next punch was blocked, Draco easily anticipating the furious Gryffindor's action and turning it to his advantage, landing one or two solid punches and easily kicking Potter's legs out from under him. Harry, unused to physical conflict, was on his back. The air was knocked out of his lungs, his glasses sent flying only Merlin knew where and he stared up, squinting, to see Draco backing away, the cocky grin firmly in place.

Silver eyes stared into cold green depths. Draco's voice dropped to a low menacing growl. "Yeah, she likes to fuck...almost like she was designed for it. Designed for me. Those long legs, tight little body, that mouth that would drive any man wild . . ." Draco brought one hand up to wipe the blood flowing from his split lip. His face hardened as his cold eyes fixed on the glowering Potter. "You really should be thanking me. You couldn't handle her anyway."

"Touch her, Malfoy, you just touch her and . . . "

"Too late, thought we'd established that fact," Draco shook his head. "But then again, you never were one to listen to what you didn't want to hear."

Still sprawled out on the ground, Harry gave up trying to feel out his wand or glasses and simply sprung forward, tangling his fists in the dark fabric that he assumed was Draco's coat, and shoved him up against a stone pillar. "What do you want? Just tell me what the fuck you want!"

"Simple," Draco stated, breaking the dark haired wizard's hold and beating him back with a few well aimed punches that sent him hurling into the side of the fountain. The blow was hard enough to stun the Gryffindor, but not knock him out entirely and Draco slowly backed away. "I already have what I want."

Draco watched him for a moment, with no small amount of satisfaction, before glancing at his bruised knuckles. Granted, he hadn't gotten any new information out of Potter, but kicking his ass was almost better – perhaps stupid in the long term, but immensely gratifying. Seeing the dazed expression on Potter's face clearing slightly, he figured it was time to leave and turned, making his way back to his room.

By the time Harry pushed himself off the ground and had recovered his wand and glasses, the blonde was gone. The courtyard was empty as was the surrounding grounds and a quick sweep of the general area turned up nothing. Draco had managed an impressive and highly annoying disappearing act, sneaking off somewhere to do only Merlin knew what. Maybe it was the crude description of Draco's relationship with Hermione that incensed him. As bad as things had gotten between the two of them, he couldn't believe – no, he refused to believe for one minute that she had lowered herself to lay with something like him. The idea was horrifyingly sickening and he was convinced that the son of a fucking deatheater bastard was lying, he had to be.

Draco had to be lying, he had to be.

That one statement of denial held at bay the pure rage that consumed Harry as he made his way through the halls of Hogwarts. He could live with denial until he found Hermione, had her firmly in his grasp and under his protection. Then the nonsense would end, Draco's lies would be verified as nothing more than that and perhaps the Slytherin's real scheme would be revealed. He didn't go through all this shit of breaking up with Pavarti and making deals with deatheaters to lose her now. If he could get into the girl's dorm, he'd storm into her room – Lavender and Pavarti be damned, but since that was an impossibility, he decided to catch her first thing tomorrow morning. He had allowed this situation with Malfoy to go long enough, it was time to bring the Slytherin down.

**TBC**

_sonorous_ - Latin for loud and _plaga_ – Latin for zone

_dog pageant winner_ – an inside joke between some of my friends. Winning it is no particular honor, you're the best of the worse, so congrats, lol.

For those looking for the **lemon chapter** it's available on my LJ (livejournal) and I'm making the link my homepage on my user info to make everything easier for all of us.

Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if you didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. And don't forget . . . Reviewing is Good Karma! So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;) Unless you're a writer, you will never understand how inspiring your reviews really are to someone like me, so until next time, thanks :D


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